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Most of the time, you’ll have to complete an inspection or valuation before closing on a home.
Otherwise, the bank won’t let you complete the mortgage process. Inspecting the property will also give you advanced notice if there’s an issue with any parts or home items in it, which affects the value.
Here are a few things you should always inspect if you’re buying a house.
1. The Roof
Your home’s roof is what protects everything inside. If it has a leak, you’ll end up with tons of water damage. Replacing a bad roof can be incredibly expensive, too. We’re talking about a project that could run your tens of thousands. That’s why it’s such a big deal when you’re about to buy a place.
Always get someone to inspect its roof before you make an offer. You can look into having professional roofers come out and inspect. For example, if you live in the Roanoke, VA area you will want to search for roofing in Roanoke VA. They’ll help you complete an inspection and close on a house. Plus, you won’t have to wait too long while you’re letting them take care of it.
2. HVAC System
Large homes might have multiple HVAC units. So, make sure you’ve checked them all before you close on a place. Replacing them can cost thousands. If you had to replace more than one, it could be quite expensive.
Checking them before you close is vital. Otherwise, you could be stuck with a place that doesn’t have a working HVAC system. Trying to live somewhere without a furnace or heating system during the winter wouldn’t be fun.
Ask someone to check the furnace’s heat exchanger. This piece of equipment is crucial to the equipment’s function. It prevents gas from leaking into the home’s vents whenever you’re using the heater. If it has a crack, you must get a new furnace.
You could try to ask the seller if they’d be willing to cover the cost of a new one. Some of them will be willing to buy a replacement if it means you’ll close on the house. That’s only going to work if you’re trying to buy somewhere that’s not competitive, though.
3. Foundation
Your home’s foundation is what supports everything else. Sometimes, they’ll develop cracks where they’ve held too much weight. These might get larger if you don’t take care of them. A foundation crack could become a critical failure if it’s left alone for too long.
So, always ask for someone to inspect a home’s foundation before buying it. You should walk away from a property if there’s something wrong with its foundation. Most of the time, repairing it would be too expensive for it to be worthwhile.
4. Radon
Radon is a type of gas that leaks into homes from the Earth. It has a radioactive presence, so you don’t want any in your home. Some homes develop leaks from underneath, letting it seep inside. This can actually increase your lifetime odds of cancer.
So, it’s important to request a professional inspection if you’d like to buy a house. You don’t want to buy one that has a radon leak if you can avoid it. Some homes can seal up leaks, but it’s not always 100% effective. Always make sure you’ve kept the home ventilated if you buy it anyway.
5. Plumbing
Nothing is worse than realizing you’ve bought a home with shoddy plumbing. You might not recognize it as a problem until you’ve had to call a plumber for emergencies half a dozen times. That’s when you’ll start to notice there’s a pattern to the home’s problems. You can always request a plumber to inspect the place’s plumbing before buying it.
That would give you a good enough idea of how well its plumbing will work. Installing new pipes would solve most of them if you’ve got a house with problems, already. But it would be way less difficult if you just didn’t buy one with problems at all so you can avoid having to renovate a room after water damage.
Inspecting a Home Before Buying
Home inspections are part of the home buying process. They’re a way to protect the buyer by preventing them from buying a house with potential issues or faults. So, you should always pay attention to what the inspector has to say after their inspection. They’ll be able to help you figure out whether it’s worth moving forward with a deal and whether to invest in flipping a house for example.