Warning Signs to Look Out For Before Buying a House

Buying a house is a huge decision, both for your family and lifestyle, as well as for the financial burden. That is why when you’re thinking of buying a new home, there are definitely some checks to look at and some warning signs to look out for. Each time you look to buy a home you need to be looking closely at it. You don’t want to commit a lot of money to move to a new home and then face a lot of unexpected and large costs.

The more that you know about buying a home and what to look out for, the better. That being said, there are some initial red flags that don’t need to be a deal-breaker when looking for your new home. For example, as there are things that can be done about them easily, don’t let asbestos or radon be a deal breaker for buying your dream home. There are, however, some red flags that shouldn’t be ignored, as they can be much more costly to fix. Here are some things to look out for.

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Exterior cracks

The inside of a home can look as good as anything, but if you’re not paying attention to the outside of the home it can be costly. If you notice any cracks in the exterior walls or any kind of tilting, it can be an indication of some issues with the foundations of the home. If you do notice any, then getting a survey done and having a structural engineer come to look at the home can be a good idea. They will be able to give you an estimate of the damage if there is any, and what it would cost to sort it all out.

History of ownership

Much like looking at a resume and seeing a new job every year, the same kind of warning sign needs to go to homes that have a high turnover of owners. This is something that can be checked online. With the average length of time someone spends in a home being nine years, anything less than two or three, that happens regularly, shouldn’t be ignored. It could indicate that something is wrong with the house, there are horrible neighbors, or the street gets busy and noisy, so definitely something to think about.

Uneven floors

If you notice some uneven floors, then it can be a big red flag of bigger problems. Some realtors even recommend bringing something like a marble when you look round the house, to see if it stays still or rolls away. There can be big costs associated with uneven floors as you’d need to rip the flooring out and start again. But if the flooring is very uneven, then you could even have to think about the foundation of the home.

While there are a number of things to think about when it comes to buying a new home, these are some big signs to look out for, as they can indicate that something is wrong. They may not be a deal-breaker, but knowing what the repairs would be could influence how much you’re willing to pay for the house.

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