How to Inspect a Home When Buying Property
While it is always a good idea to hire a home inspector to assess a home's condition before closing on it, you can also perform a home inspection yourself before making an offer. While you might not know everything to check, you can check some things. Here are several good things you can inspect yourself when assessing a home's condition before putting in your offer.
Test the Outlets
If you want to know more about the home's electrical system, bring a phone charger with you when touring a house. You can easily plug your phone into the charger and plug it in outlets in the home. The purpose is to test the outlets to see if they work and using a phone charger and phone is an easy way to test the outlets. As you work your way through the rooms in the home, you can also test every light switch to see if it works. Testing the switches can help you determine how the electrical system works or if it has problems.
Check the Plumbing
Another vital part of a home is the plumbing, and you can check the plumbing in several ways. First, you can turn on the faucets to see if the drains flow easily. Secondly, you can turn on the hot water to see how hot it is and how quickly the hot water reaches the faucets. You can also test the water pressure by turning on the shower and a faucet. You can flush a toilet while running other fixtures to get an idea of how much pressure the plumbing system has. Additionally, peek under all the sinks and by all the toilets to see if you can spot signs of water leaks.
Look Closely at the Basement
If you are looking at a home with a basement, you should spend some time in this area assessing it. For example, do you smell musty odors in this area? If so, the home might have water leaks. Next, look at the walls and ceilings for signs of water damage and cracks. Spotting water damage is not typically a difficult step, yet it is important to know. If a home has water damage or leaks, it can be costly to fix. Looking for cracks can help you spot foundational issues with a home.
When you want to purchase residential real estate, you can inspect the property. If you have questions, talk to your real estate agent.
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