What To Look For During A First Showing Of A Single-Family Home
Do you have the opportunity to view a home that you are interested in purchasing? If so, it will help to keep the following things in mind when touring the home during your initial showing. This can help raise some important issues about the home right away and know if it is worth moving forward with making an offer.
Signs Of Water Damage
It is always worth taking a look at the basement to try and identify any signs of water damage in the past. Unless the basement has been completely remodeled since there was last water in the basement, it is typically very hard to cover up. You'll likely see some sort of discoloration along the bottom of the exterior cement walls. If there is wood paneling then the wood will look a bit darker or discolored along the bottom edge.
Seeing water damage is not the worst thing to find though. Have the homeowners moved forward with having a sump pump or flood control system installed since it happened? This can do a good job of keeping the water out of the basement and away from the home.
Signs Of Old Plumbing
Older homes are not going to have all the modern upgrades that newly constructed homes have. An example of this will be the types of pipes that are used for plumbing. While newer homes will have copper or PEX, an older home may have galvanized steel. The problem with these pipes is that they look fine on the outside, but actually rust on the inside. You can have an unexpected pipe burst simply due to the pipes being old. Galvanized steel pipes will allow a magnet to stick to it, but it also can be identified by its gray color and have signs of rusting.
Signs Of Old Appliances
Always take a look at the hot water heater, furnace, air conditioner, washer, dryer, and kitchen appliances to get a good idea about how old they are. After all, the last thing you want to do after moving in is have to pay for a huge appliance upgrade. While your home inspector can give you more insight, many of these appliances have information on them about when they were manufactured or installed. If any appliance is approaching the end of its estimated lifespan, it is worth assuming that you'll need to replace it soon after moving into the home. While this may not be a deal breaker, you need to budget for upgrading these old appliances.
For more information about the single-family homes in your area, talk to a real estate agent.
