Things to look for when buying a house

When you’re looking to buy a house there are many different things that you need to look for, but even more importantly, you need to know what to look for in a house.
This article is going to look at a few things that you should be looking for when buying a new house and also give you a few tips on how to really get the most out of your house hunting.

Whether you are a first home buyer, looking for an investment property or trying to find that perfect holiday house, no matter which one it is that you are looking to buy you will have to do a lot of research to find that perfect house.

There are a few things that you can do when sifting through the dilapidated houses as well as the houses that are just a little out of your price range, that is to bring a digital camera along with you when inspecting houses which is an incredibly useful little trick I learnt when my father was house hunting.

By taking pictures of the property as you look at each room you can remember the perks and downfalls of each house, when looking at 10 houses you’re going to need those photos to jog your memory on each house.

Using photos and make mental notes about the features, colors, off-putting and encouraging points of each house you look at buying and then when you get home compare them to your wish-list.

Depending on what you are looking for in a house and what you need it for, there are things you need to look for when inspecting a house and that includes defects along with damage that will cause a lot of headaches to fix, here is a list of things to look for when buying a house.

1. Defection in the roof lines
This may point to a poorly framed roof, timber pest damage or a movement in the structure of the house. Look for an uneven roof from outside the house.

2. Sagging ceilings
This may be the result of lack of adhesion to ceiling joists due to poor installation originally or it could be caused by water. Look for lines in the plaster finish at the join in the sheeting. Repairing it is advised.

3. Extenstions
Are they even legal? Ask the current owner or the real estate agent to provide legal documents such as a building certificate or a construction certificate. Look out for extensions that may have been completed by the current owner, but didn’t have legal approval.

4. Electricity
Is there a safety switch installed in the meter box? This is a really simple one but it is rarely checked.

5. Check the flooring
Although many homeowners may not notice the odd creak in the floorboards, keep your ears open for sounds which may indicate damaged foundations in a home. Some causes include rotten floor beams, collapsed piers or terminates in the foundations and support underneath the home. Re-stumping a house can be extremely costly and take weeks even months, ask about the stumps.

6. Damp
When checking a property, move the furniture. The owner could be covering up escalating damp with tactically positioned furniture. Bring a moisture meter with you to each house you visit if you’re really worried about damp in that house (they cost less than $100 from eBay)—if there is hidden damp, it’s a god negotiating tool to use on a real-estate agent and will help you drive down the price or may even convince you to not buy the property.

Make sure that you research the houses you are looking at thoroughly and try and find any problems with the house in the first inspection. Also try and go to lots of open house inspections and look at lots of houses. Talking to friends and family about their experiences buying a house will give you an idea on things to look for when buying a house.