When you visit a house for sale, look for these five trouble spots. First, check if the house stands up straight. Look for big cracks in walls and if doors stick when you open them. Next, spot any water marks on walls or ceilings. Run the sink to see if water goes down fast. Look at all the power outlets – they should not wiggle or spark. Make sure rooms have enough places to plug in your things. Turn on bathroom fans to test if they pull air out well. Bad smells could mean there's mold. Last, turn on all the water taps at once. Watch how fast the water flows and drains. While you can find many problems on your own, a house expert can find the hidden ones you might miss.
Foundation and Structural Issues
When you visit a house you want to buy, look for four big signs of trouble with its base. Big cracks wider than your pinky, floors that aren't flat, doors that get stuck, and walls that pull apart are bad news.
Walk around the outside of the house. Look at the bottom walls made of concrete or brick. Watch for cracks that go side to side or look like stairs.
Go inside and open all the doors. See if they work well or get stuck at the top. Try rolling a marble on the floor – it shouldn't roll on its own.
Look where the walls meet the ceiling and in corners. If you see gaps, the house might be moving.
If you find any of these problems, ask a building expert to check the house. Fixing these issues can cost a lot of money and make the house unsafe to live in.
Water Damage Warning Signs
Water can hurt your home badly. Keep your eyes open for brown spots on walls and ceilings.
Watch for paint that bubbles up or walls that bend. These show that water got inside. Look at your floors too. If wood floors bend up, or if your carpet smells bad, there might be water under them.
Check under your kitchen and bathroom sinks. Look for wet spots, soft floors, or rusty pipes.
Look at your windows too. If the wood feels soft or if you see fog between the glass, that's bad. Trust your nose – if you smell something musty, water might be hiding nearby.
Watch out for new paint in small spots. Some people paint over water marks to hide them.
Electrical System Red Flags
When looking at a house, you need to check if the electrical parts are safe. Look for dark spots or loose plugs on the walls – these could mean danger. Bring a small tester to check if the outlets work right.
In basements or attics, look at the wires. Old wires can be risky. The main power box shouldn't be rusty or make noise. It shouldn't feel hot when you touch it. Watch out for bare wires or different kinds mixed together.
Count the wall plugs in each room. If there aren't many, people might use too many power strips.
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Special safety plugs should be in wet rooms like kitchens and bathrooms, and outside too. These keep you from getting shocked.
Poor Ventilation and Air Quality
When you walk into a home, you need fresh air to stay healthy. Bad air can make you sick. Use your nose to check for strange smells. Look for wet spots and black dots near windows and in bathrooms. These mean the air isn't moving well.
Try out the fans in bathrooms and kitchens. Hold a piece of paper near them. The paper should stick to the fan if it works well.
Make sure all windows can open so fresh air can come in. Look at the heating and cooling system too. Check if the filters are clean. Dirty filters mean the air in the house isn't clean.
Keep your eyes open for wet marks on walls and ceilings. These tell you there might be bad air in the house. Good air flow helps everyone breathe better and stay well.
Plumbing System Problems
Look closely at all sinks and tubs during a house tour. Turn them on and make sure water flows down well. Slow drains can mean bad pipes or clogs.
Run more than one tap at the same time to test if water comes out strong. If the water is weak, the pipes might be old or too small.
Look for brown water or water spots on walls. Also smell for any bad odors. These signs can show leaky pipes that cost a lot to fix.
Slow-Draining Sinks and Tubs
When you look at a house to buy, check if water goes down the sinks and tubs fast enough. Turn on the water in each sink and tub for half a minute. Watch how fast it drains. Slow drains mean there could be big problems that cost a lot to fix.
These things can make water drain slow:
- Tree roots growing into pipes under the ground
- Hair, soap, and junk stuck in pipes
- Pipes that can't get air
- Old, rusty pipes
- Pipes that don't slope the right way
If you see slow drains, ask the owner about the pipes. Ask to see papers that show what fixes they made to the pipes before.
Water Pressure Warning Signs
Your home's water should flow well from every tap. Let's check if it does! Turn on many faucets at once. Run your shower and kitchen sink at the same time. If the water gets weak when you flush, you may have a problem.
Look at how the water comes out. Does it spurt or spit? This means there might be air stuck in the pipes. Or the pipes could be old and rusty.
Test both hot and cold water. They should be just as strong as each other. If not, your water heater might need help.
If water is weak upstairs but strong downstairs, your pipes might need fixing. These fixes can cost a lot of money.
Hidden Pipe Leak Indicators
Your home can talk to you about hidden pipe leaks. Look for wet spots on your walls and floors. These spots often show up near the bottom of walls or on your ceiling. They may look brown or yellow.
Take a deep breath when you walk in each room. If you smell something like wet cardboard, there might be a leak hiding nearby. This smell is strongest in bathrooms and under sinks.
Stand still and use your ears. If you hear water running when no one is using it, a pipe might be broken.
Other signs to watch for:
- Check if your water meter moves when no one uses water
- Look for floors that feel soft or bumpy
- Spot green or black fuzzy spots in corners
- Find wet patches in your yard
- See white crusty stuff or red spots near pipes
Neighborhood Assessment Tips
When you want to buy a home, you need to check out the people and places around it, not just the house. Take a walk in the area when you visit.
Look at how people care for their homes and yards. See if neighbors talk to each other and watch out for each other. Find out how far you'll need to go to buy food, get to school, or get help in an emergency.
Watch how many cars drive by and how loud it gets. Look for things that make noise, like planes, trains, or busy streets. See if any homes look empty or not taken care of.
Look up if the area is safe and if the schools are good. Ask about any new building plans nearby. Visit in the morning, afternoon, and night to see how the street feels at different times.
Hidden Repair Costs
Look closely at any house you want to buy. Check if the floors feel wobbly when you walk. Look for big cracks that go across walls at an angle. Try to close all the doors – they should close without sticking. These signs mean the house might've big problems that cost a lot to fix.
Next, look for wet spots on the ceiling. Smell the air in bathrooms – it shouldn't be musty. Turn on the water and see if it flows well. Bad signs here mean the pipes might need fixing.
If the house has these problems, you might need to spend $10,000 to fix the base of the house. Bad pipes can cost between $5,000 and $15,000 to fix. This is why you need to look very hard at these things when you visit a house.
Foundation and Structural Issues
Your house needs a strong base to stand tall. Think of it like your feet – if they hurt, walking becomes hard. The same goes for your home's foundation.
Bad foundation problems can cost a lot to fix – up to $100,000! That's why you need to check a house well before you buy it. Look at every part of the house, inside and out.
Watch out for these signs:
- Big cracks that run sideways in walls, bigger than your pinky finger
- Floors that feel bumpy or make you feel like you're walking downhill
- Doors that get stuck or won't shut right
- Spaces where walls pull away from the ceiling or floor
- Wet spots in the basement or under the house
If you see any of these things, ask an expert to look at the house. This person is called a structural engineer. They'll charge about $500 to $1,000, but their help can save you from buying a bad house.
Remember: A good house starts with a good foundation. Take time to check it first!
Hidden Plumbing Warning Signs
Your home's pipes carry water like a river through your walls and floors. When you look at a house, check these things to stay safe from water damage:
Look at the walls and ceiling for wet spots. This means a pipe might be leaking. Turn on all the water taps to see if they work well. Look under the sink for rusty pipes or drips.
Go to each bathroom and flush the toilet. Make sure the water goes down fast. Listen to see if the toilet keeps running after it fills up. Look around the tub and shower for black spots or gaps. These could mean mold is growing.
Check how old the water heater is. If it's older than 10 years, you might need a new one soon. If you smell something musty, like an old basement, there could be water where it shouldn't be.
Room Layout and Flow
When you look at rooms in a house, check how they connect and work together. Think about how you move from room to room each day. The layout should make your life easier, not harder.
Watch out for these problems:
- Rooms with only one way in and out
- Having to walk through one bedroom to get to another
- A kitchen where people get in your way while cooking
- Walls you can't remove to make spaces bigger
- Hard-to-use doors to the yard
Walk through the house like you live there. Carry pretend groceries from your car to the kitchen. Take fake laundry from your bedroom to where you'd wash it. See if you can fit your bed, couch, and other big items where you want them.
Make sure each room is big enough for what you need to do in it. A good house helps you move around easily and feels right for how you live.
Exterior Maintenance Concerns
When you look at a house from outside, it shows you how well people took care of it. Check the walls for any breaks or missing parts. These could mean water got in or bugs made homes there.
Look at the roof too. If it sags or has missing parts, it might need to be fixed soon.
Look at the bottom of the house where it meets the ground. Small cracks are normal, but big zigzag cracks in brick or stone are bad signs.
Make sure the rain pipes are tight and not rusty. If you see stains under them, water mightn't be flowing right.
Don't forget to check the windows. Bad seals or foggy glass mean you might need new ones.
Soft, mushy wood around windows is also a big problem.
