Here are some great South Bay Home Spring Buying Tips!  ‘Tis the spring selling season!!

 

Recognize a Roof in Need Of Repair – Before entering a home, check out what is happening on top.  Does the roof look relatively new or is it caving in?  Are the edges curling up?  Is there mildew or discoloration on roof tiles?  Chances are this could cost you …

 

Don’t Judge a Room by Its Paint Color – When you step into a prospective room, focus on the structural condition.  How old are the appliances in the kitchen?  Are the floors even?  Are the windows newer?  Don’t let a new paint job lure you in – be sure to look for things that could really cost you.

 

Too Much Scent – When there’s too much going on in the scent department—plug-ins, wax warmers, and candles, for example—I wonder what that overkill is hiding.  Be sure to take a deep whiff in every room you enter, and look closely at walls, ceilings, and flooring for signs of pet accidents, mildew, or smoke.

 

Signs of Deferred Maintenance –  When I walk through a home, I look for signs that the owner might have neglected routine home maintenance.  Issues such as burned-out light bulbs, long grass, leaky faucets, or faded paint.  These signs indicate the seller may have ignored other ongoing home maintenance tasks that can cause real problems down the road.  An attentive homeowner is going to flush the water heater annually, change air filters monthly, clean the chimney, inspect the roof for leaks, and regularly re-caulk around windows and doors, for example, which will keep all those systems in good working order.

 

Water Damage – A musty odor can indicate water damage, even if you don’t see standing water.   Check walls and ceilings for water lines; they likely indicate flooding from a leak or a burst pipe that may have caused internal damage. Also, take a peek at exposed piping in basements or laundry rooms, and check for rust, water stains, or leaking.

 

Hire a Home Inspector – Even though your home inspector is likely to detect many of these problems down the line, being attentive to these red flags in an open house ensures that you’re not wasting your time on a home that isn’t the one for you.  A good real estate agent can also point things like this out when you walk through a home for the first time.