Buying a house is one of the most exciting and stressful times in your life. No doubt you will be attending numerous open houses each weekend and scrolling through all the online listings in your desired area. With any big purchase, there is always the fear of making the wrong choice. That is why when you are attending property inspections there are some key things to keep an eye out for. During my experience as a young single woman buying an older house on my own, I was lucky to have my dad (an experienced tradesman) attend the open house with me. During this process he taught me a great deal of things to look for when inspecting a property.
Things to look for at a property inspection
- Surrounding/overhead trees. If you are looking to purchase a house rather than a unit/townhouse/apartment, then take a good look outside. A lot of trees surrounding a small suburban property is not necessarily a bad thing but it is good to take note. Trees that are close to a house in certain areas can allow for termites to invade a property. Especially if overhanging branches are making contact with any part of the physical house. Overhanging trees can also become an issue if they need to be cut down for whatever future issue. Paying for arborists is an expensive excercise and for good reason. Cutting large trees down when their are multiple surrounding properties is not a DIY job. It can be extremely dangerous to not just yourself but also to your property. One mistake and you can end up with a branch falling on the roof or worse, the neighbours roof. Whilst trees do provide a nice nature aspect to a property if they are overhanging then you will also need to clean your gutters every so often. So keep that in mind especially if you are single and not really the maintence type of gal.
- Check the powerpoints in old houses. If you are purchasing an older style home in Australia then check your powerpoints and light switches. If you see a light switches that look like the ones that used to be at you Grandma’s house and do not look modern, then there is every chance that the house has not been rewired. Again there is nothing inherently wrong with this but rewiring a house can be costly so just keep it in your mind that eventually you may have to update the electricals in this home for whatever reason.
3. Check the date on the hot water system. You can expect an electric hot water system to last on average about 10-15 years so hopefully, the house you are looking at has one that will last you a while before needing replacement. These can be about $1000-$1500 to pay for a replacement and plumber install. An old system wouldn’t stop me from purchasing a property it is just a good thing to check.
4. The neighboring properties. For any property that you are inspecting you will want to check out the neighbours. Not just the neighbours on either side but the entirety of the street. Do the neighbours have nicely mown lawns & tidy yards. Are there houses with nice cars and nice things? In my experience, normal people will keep their house looking pretty respectable. If you see neighbouring houses that have grass a metre high and shit everywhere, then take that as a warning. No house is worth living next door to a crazy neighbour. Good neighbours are worth their weight in gold. If you are serious about putting an offer in on a house you might even feel comfortable going to ask the neighbours about the street & area. Ask them if they like living there? Most people are pretty friendly and will probably be inclined to tell you the truth about the street.
5. Don’t trust the real estate agent. They are not your friend. Don’t believe a word that comes out of their mouth, we all know that real estate agents lie. They are working for the seller not you as the buyer. All they care about is offloading the property as quickly as possible and for the best price they can get. Do not ever tell the real estate what you have been pre-approved for or what your budget is. Their job is to show you the house. When they ask you “what is your budget?” your response will be “it just depends on when I find the right house” end of the conversation.
They can also tell lies about counteroffers, so stick to your guns on what your maximum price is and how far you are willing to negotiate. That’s why you will hear an agent say that they have “another offer” and ask you “what your absolute best offer is?” in the hopes that you will go higher in order to win the property. In reality, there may or may not be another offer, you will never know and that is the risk you take. This situation can go one of two ways. The other offer is legitimate and wins out if you aren’t willing to counter offer. Or in a week the agent rings you and tells you the “other offer” has fallen through and would you still like to buy the house? Depending on the type of property market you are in and how much you want the property will likely influence how you respond to this kind of situation. But don’t fall for the trap of thinking the real estate agent is on your side, they are the kings of talking bullshit.
6. The roof. Stand back from the property so you are able to see the roof. Is this a tiled roof or a tin one? Does it look new or old and is it painted or not? Getting an idea of the condition of the roof is an important aspect of property inspection. Installing a new roof is in the realm for 20K-30K which is a very large expense that for me personally, I wanted to avoid. Personally, I prefer tin roofs over tiled roofs due to less risk of leaks but everyone is different with different preferences. A tin roof that is painted will also prevent premature rusting so have a look at the paint job.
7. Cracks in the house. Now I am not talking about little cracks inside on the walls. Gyprock (drywall in the USA) can crack over time due to movement in the house but this is usually nothing that can’t be fixed with some skim coat, a light sand and a lick of paint. However large cracks in brickwork or obvious cracking on the outside of a house is cause for concern. This could indicate structural issues with the building and would definitely warrant further investigations by someone in your life who is more experienced in the construction world.
8. Issues with the internal ceiling. By issues I mean discoloured patches of paint, bubbled paint, or sagging. When you are inspecting the property LOOK UP. Look at each ceiling for anything that does not look quite right. Water leaks can cause discoloured patches or bubbling of the paintwork and trust me when it pours rain the night you move into your new house, you will not be happy.
9. Location & surroundings. What is the house close to? Does it back onto a park where there is a lot of foot traffic? I certainly don’t want to make myself more of a target for easy break-ins. Are their schools & shopping centres that are easily accessible as well as the public transport links? All of these things should be taken into consideration when trying to find the right property. I also tend to take note of things like security screens. If every house on the street has security screens then that might be something to ask yourself about.
10. Parking options. Everyone is different and depending on your family situation and the type of property that you are buying, will depend on how much you care about parking. Also, take note of the amount of traffic going through the street. Busy streets can be a big turn off for people.
There are so many variables to look at when finding a property to buy. Each person will have their own ideas about what is important to them and what is not. The things listed here are just my personal checklist to tick off when viewing a potential house. Of course, a lot of these things will be covered during a building inspection however if you can have a good understanding of what the inspector might be looking for it, it will put you two steps ahead. No point wasting $400 on a building inspection only for the report to come back stating the entire roof needs replacing. If you have more of an idea of what to look for it might help you when discerning which properties you are serious about. No house will ever be perfect but there are probably some things that are non-negotiable. Good luck on your search.
