With the rising inflation and property prices, many of us are looking to secure a promising asset before our cash suffers anymore hits. However, when you are in a rush of excitement to get a property under your name, you risk only seeing the plethora of benefits of the properties and fail to notice the warning signs - alas, the red flags of the house that signal how it may have issues you need to resolve. Before you know it, your deposit is paid and the regret only settles in after you move in and notice things starting to go wrong.
To prevent you from burning your pockets unnecessarily, we recommend prevention rather than cure. Therefore, here are some warning signs for you to detect before you execute decisions you may regret.
Warning sign #1: Coverings
If there are numerous rugs and carpets covering the floor or certain furnishings, make sure to open every single one of them to see if they are hiding and floor detects. This may include dirty patches, dents and worse case, even termite infections that has eroded the wooden floor away.
If these are present, it will understandably be a huge cost to replace the floor furnishings and to repair the damaged portions. Hence, it will not be advisable to pick a property that has huge floor defects.
Same goes for sticky windows – if it is very difficult to open or close it, it may be signs that it is rusted or are warped. Therefore, even though new paint can be used to cover up, check for areas of dampness and dry rot. Make sure that there are no signs of infection and mold.
Warning sign #2: Pests and Foul smell
Understandably, you believe that with your own good habits of hygiene, even if the original owner maintains a poor level of hygiene, you will be able to clean it all up. However, their poor habits of maintaining the cleanliness of the house may be so drastic that along with a long period of time, it may be hard to remove the pests and dirt.
If you smell a lingering foul smell in the house along with running pests, it may be a sign that this house will be extremely tricky to clean up and manage. Therefore, before you double yourself with work by hiring pest control, setting traps and coughing from all the pesticides, think carefully whether if it is worth it.
Warning sign #3: Poorly maintained walls and ceilings
Usually, the lack of maintenance in ceiling areas can expose the long running issues within the house. If the house has poorly maintained walls and ceilings, you will see cracks and molds along with paint peeling off. Furthermore, if it is crumbling, there is a possibility of poor ventilation in the house as well.
Since walls and ceilings can uncover inherent problems within the house, another convenient alternative would be to hire a professional to conduct a thorough and accurate inspection, so that you can get a confirmation whether the property is in good condition.
Other defects along the wall and floor can also be an early sign that this house is in poor condition. After all, cracks are usually a minor foundation damage that will eventually lead to greater and drastic damages.
We guess that you wouldn’t want to burn your pocket over this and that’s why we would recommend you decide otherwise if the property in mind has such qualities.
Warning sign #4: Poor technical foundation
Make sure that all switches, outlets in the house are not faulty as replacing the wiring can be costly. Furthermore, previous homeowners may have redesigned the way the wiring is situated or aligned in the house due to aesthetic purposes. However, if you have any renovations in mind, it might be affected by where the wires were relocated. Hence, it is best if you can check with the owner if they have done any changes to the technical foundation of the property itself.
Furthermore, always check every water source in the property to ensure that all taps, toilet and showerheads are working. Make sure you are aware of all costs upfront, but inherent costs as well if you were to change any of the equipment and when you conduct maintenance.
Another alternative would be to invite a structural engineer or a professional – after all, if the investment in a property is so hefty, an amount should be set aside to protect yourself from risks.
What do I do?
In conclusion, the general takeaway is simple. if you have saved up so hard to buy the home of your dreams, you should be conducting the same amount of effort to ensure that the house is well maintained and up to your expectations. When dealing with such complications, it may be tempting to follow your gut instinct but always check back with your list of rational queries. If you have any doubts or you are seeking any property advice, do not hesitate to reach out to know more in-depth analysis.
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