Let's say you're in the market for a new home. Congratulations. However, be careful. There are things that can show up in your perfect new home that aren't going to be obvious to anyone, at least not at first. However, you have to rule any serious defects out before you buy, whether your home is gently lived in, new, or a fixer-upper. It's not just about poorly placed window glass or bad spackling, either.
The First Case:
In our first case, a man trusts a family friend, and buys a home he and his family have fallen in love with. After six years, which is well past any warranties the home might have, the home has had no problems. However, once the city builds a bypass, the next heavy rain reveals the home's flaws. It has poor drainage, which causes the lower level to flood because it has been poorly sealed. Unfortunately, the flood is of sticky mud, more than a metre deep. In the washout, a drainage culvert to the side of the house also collapses, and parts of the lawn begin to "slide" as well, becoming treacherous. At the bottom of the lawn, which slopes, the grass becomes a marsh, which ruins the once plentiful vegetable garden.
In fact, the home has bad drainage and a poorly sealed lower level. These two defects are catastrophic, to the point where this house, originally priced at $250,000, dropped by about a third in value after the cleanup. Some of the problems have since been addressed, but there has been subsequent flooding over the last decade. The former functioning lower level is simply now average storage, which has cut the home's living space in half. Many family heirlooms and memories were also destroyed in the floods, and these are irreplaceable treasures that are simply gone.
The Second Case:
Someone has bought a home, a so-called "handyman's special." Because he's pretty handy, he knows a bit about home structure, and he has also worked in construction. He likes building and renovation. He sees a roof that has some leaking, a house that needs a new paint job, and some broken bricks around the bottom of the home. Of course, these things are relatively minor and easily fixed by someone so handy. After he signs his contract, though, he finds the real problem. The house's foundation is cracked, caused by poor settling. The south end of the home is settling faster than the north end is. Jacks have helped hide this problem and level the floors, but he can't repair this himself. To repair this problem will cost him more than he originally paid for the home.
Problems like these, and others, may hide in the home you're considering. This can be true whether it's new or old. Even if you think you know about homes and your best friend is the builder, it's a possibility that the home you're considering has serious building flaws.
In fact, 90% of homes have flaws that are serious enough to cost you as many as tens of thousands of dollars in renovations or repair. A small minority of these homes has flaws that are serious enough to make the only really fiscally feasible solution a razing of the home altogether, and then rebuilding.
Before you consider buying any home, hire a building inspector. These people have worked for decades in construction and have seen everything. They know where to look for land quality, zoning issues, the home's history, and any credentials needed. They know whom you should trust and whom you should avoid, and they also know what corners dishonest contractors cut. These corners might surprise you, and cost you a lot.
Before you buy, get an independent building inspection. It could be the best money you spend in the complex transaction to get your new home. - 30446
The First Case:
In our first case, a man trusts a family friend, and buys a home he and his family have fallen in love with. After six years, which is well past any warranties the home might have, the home has had no problems. However, once the city builds a bypass, the next heavy rain reveals the home's flaws. It has poor drainage, which causes the lower level to flood because it has been poorly sealed. Unfortunately, the flood is of sticky mud, more than a metre deep. In the washout, a drainage culvert to the side of the house also collapses, and parts of the lawn begin to "slide" as well, becoming treacherous. At the bottom of the lawn, which slopes, the grass becomes a marsh, which ruins the once plentiful vegetable garden.
In fact, the home has bad drainage and a poorly sealed lower level. These two defects are catastrophic, to the point where this house, originally priced at $250,000, dropped by about a third in value after the cleanup. Some of the problems have since been addressed, but there has been subsequent flooding over the last decade. The former functioning lower level is simply now average storage, which has cut the home's living space in half. Many family heirlooms and memories were also destroyed in the floods, and these are irreplaceable treasures that are simply gone.
The Second Case:
Someone has bought a home, a so-called "handyman's special." Because he's pretty handy, he knows a bit about home structure, and he has also worked in construction. He likes building and renovation. He sees a roof that has some leaking, a house that needs a new paint job, and some broken bricks around the bottom of the home. Of course, these things are relatively minor and easily fixed by someone so handy. After he signs his contract, though, he finds the real problem. The house's foundation is cracked, caused by poor settling. The south end of the home is settling faster than the north end is. Jacks have helped hide this problem and level the floors, but he can't repair this himself. To repair this problem will cost him more than he originally paid for the home.
Problems like these, and others, may hide in the home you're considering. This can be true whether it's new or old. Even if you think you know about homes and your best friend is the builder, it's a possibility that the home you're considering has serious building flaws.
In fact, 90% of homes have flaws that are serious enough to cost you as many as tens of thousands of dollars in renovations or repair. A small minority of these homes has flaws that are serious enough to make the only really fiscally feasible solution a razing of the home altogether, and then rebuilding.
Before you consider buying any home, hire a building inspector. These people have worked for decades in construction and have seen everything. They know where to look for land quality, zoning issues, the home's history, and any credentials needed. They know whom you should trust and whom you should avoid, and they also know what corners dishonest contractors cut. These corners might surprise you, and cost you a lot.
Before you buy, get an independent building inspection. It could be the best money you spend in the complex transaction to get your new home. - 30446
About the Author:
Author: Darren K. Thompson has many years experience in Sydney termite control and he's heard too many horror stories when people don't tend to pest control Sydney.
