Crazy Things to Look for when Buying a Home

I have purchased a few homes in my lifetime, and because of that I have learned many things. I bought my first house with my husband when I was 19. I was very young, eager, and naive. I believed everything the realtor said strictly because I didn't know any better. I didn't know anything about structural defects, or anything of the sort. After recently purchasing our 3rd new home I've learned what odd things you need to look for when shopping for your 1st or your 5th new home. By best and most important tip is to look at a home right after it rains.

1. Look at the roof. Look for any green, or dark discolorations, or standing water on the roof. This will tell you if there is mold in the house or the potential for mold. If any exist you'll need to get a new roof at the very lease.

2. Look for standing water in the yard, if you are in flood plain water will leak under your house causing damage, and making it nearly impossible to add on later if you want to.

3. Check for drop ceilings. These are put in for one of two reasons. Either they wanted a cheap way to put in a new ceiling, or and this is worst reason. The home was on fire and they did a quick fix instead of fixing the structural damage. The easiest way to tell if there was a fire is to make your way to the attic. If the beams are black or discolored in anyway, there was a fire.

4. Turn on all the faucets to check for water pressure and color; this includes the outside faucets, the shower, the washing machine, the dishwasher if there is one, of course all the sinks.

5. Check every single cabinet. Open them all up and look inside for cracks or holes. You never know what homes have mice and what ones do not.

6. Open the oven, I've been in homes where the previous owners left the oven, but took the racks. Also turn it on, just because its there doesn't mean it work.

7. Open the dishwater and trash compactors. Again, just because they are there does not mean they are in any sort of working condition.

8. Open the refrigerator make sure it is cold and that the freezer is cold.

9. Check to see if the locks work on all the doors inside and outside of the home. You'll most likely be changing the locks on the outside doors, but until then, the ones there need to work.

10. Always flush the toilet, you don't want to get in there to use it and it not work.

11. If there is a garage make sure the door goes up and down either by hand or with the remotes.

12. Check all the windows in the house to make sure they work.

If you do these things you'll avoid many of the terrible things first time home owners run into.