Over the past five years, first-time homebuyers made up over 60% of the sales growth in the housing market.
Purchasing your first home can be exciting and overwhelming, too. One of the ways to make sure that you are making a knowledgeable purchase is through a home inspection.
Read our top five home inspection tips for first-time buyers so you’ll make confident decisions regarding your first home.
1. Test for Mold
As a family, your health and wellness while living in your new home must be a top priority.
You don’t want to purchase your first home and find out there are harmful pockets of mold hidden between the walls, right?
Toxic mold is a serious issue. Testing for mold needs to be one of the top things to inspect on your first-time homebuyers checklist.
2. Show Up to the Home Inspection
Want to ensure that the home inspection goes smoothly?
Showing up to the home inspection can ease your worries so you can see for yourself if there are any possible issues with the structure of the home.
Ask questions when your home inspector travels from one area to the next. Don’t hesitate to point out certain things you see as hazards for further investigation. Depending on the weather or other circumstances, your home inspector may not check everything that you want to know about your potential home.
If it’s raining, for example, your home inspector could forget to check certain zones in the home that could reveal leaks within the crawl spaces. Check to see if they’ll come back to finalize the inspection in those cases.
3. Don’t Assume New Construction Means No Flaws
Even if your home is newly built, you should still run through the usual tests before you make a purchase.
Some new construction features sustainable home designs which are new to the market. These eco-friendly approaches to home design are constantly being evaluated for proper installation; therefore, be sure you check that they meet necessary codes and regulations.
4. Pay Close Attention to the Roof
A roof can give plenty of indications about whether your home will be safe to live in.
The roof provides information regarding the current status of the house. Your first-time homebuyer checklist needs to include a visit to the top of the roof so ask your home inspector to pull out the ladder to check for obvious damage or evidence of recent repairs.
Are there missing shingles? Is the roof free of water stains? These are issues you must look out for to predict the health of your roof and if any internal aspects of your home have been compromised.
5. Take Lots of Pictures As Proof
Have a record in your own hands that will stand as your proof of the severity of the problems with the home you wish to buy.
Taking photos will be the simplest way to document what you see wrong with the home as it stands.
Use powerful high-tech infrared cameras to see through the drywall to check for signs of molding or rotting walls.
Need to Find a New Home For Your Family?
Our five home inspection tips for first-time buyers tell you exactly what you must do before buying a new home in 2018.
Decide how much you can afford and talk to professional agents who will assist you to find the perfect home of your dreams.
The team at Wonica Realtors & Appraisers offers years of experience providing realty services to homebuyers and sellers in the Staten Island area. Contact us today to see how we can assist!
Wonica Realtors & Appraisers are Staten Island’s #1 independent full-service real estate firm, serving the needs of the community for over 30 years. Whether you’re buying, selling, renting or relocating, our staff of highly trained professionals will provide quality realty services with personal attention to your individual real estate needs.