When you’re house hunting you will walk through many houses. If you’re smart you’re keeping noted on all of those places. However, when you find the right place for you, you’ll know it. Once you do find that place and get your offer accepted, that is when the real challenges start.
You need to have your future home inspected. Inspections will let you know if there is work that needs to be done before your loan will be released. It will also find bad things, like mold or infestations.
Check For Lead And Asbestos
If you’re considering the purchase of an older home there is a good chance that it could be harboring some toxic stuff. Asbestos was commonly used in homes, mainly in insulation, from the 1930s to the 50s. It was banned in the late 70s. It’s the dust from asbestos that can cause a life-threatening illness.
Lead could be in the paint in older homes. The seller of the home is required to reveal this information for your protection.
Do Black Mold Testing
Consider having black mold testing done, especially if it looks as though the home has had roof or window leaks. Black mold can cause respiratory issues and can even lead to asthma. This is likely an inspection you’ll have to have done separately from your normal home inspection.
Have The Roof Checked
Unless the realtor knows the exact year the roof on the house was replaced, you may want to get the home’s roof inspected. A roof can last two or three decades, depending on the materials they are made from. If the home is located somewhere susceptible to high winds it could need some repair early on.
Furnace And Water Heater
You also want to know the ages of the furnace and water heater in the home. These can both be expensive things to replace, and they are things that are needed for a home to be livable. If the seller doesn’t know the age it’s likely they’ll need to be replaced soon.
Look In The Basement
While you’re in the basement looking at the furnace and water heater, you need to look for water. You don’t want to use your basement for storage if items will get damaged when it rains. You also don’t want to have a finished basement that often floods, which will lead to mold problems.
Critter In The Walls/Attic
Your inspection will hopefully cover the attic and crawl space (if there’s no basement) in your potential home. These are places where critters may be found in residence, and some of them can cause problems healthwise and home wise. Termites and carpenter ants can cause issues with wood and mice and bats could spread diseases.