Buying a house is one of the most preferred home ownership options. You will get something ready that meets your preferred standards. There is a wide range of designs or styles you can opt for when buying a new home. The American house style is one of the most preferred. It is becoming common in most countries, which in German they call it „Amerikanische Häuser“
There are also multiple other designs or units like bungalows, maisonettes, and condos you can opt for. Once you have settled for a house that meets your preference, there are several things you should inspect before making that final purchase. They include:
Structure and Foundation
Hidden defects often relate to the structure and foundation of the house, making them an important item to inspect. However, they are quite challenging to verify given their location, which is often difficult to access. Only a seasoned professional could identify with certainty suspicious items, such as cracks that may be shallow or potentially dangerous to the durability of the home.
The Electrical Panel
We don’t always pay attention
to it, but a home’s electrical panel could prove to be problematic if it’s too old. Indeed, the capacity of the electrical panel of an old house is 60 to 100 amperes if it has not been brought up to the standards of the regulatory body in your area.
If so, it will need to be changed to a 200 amp panel to meet the needs of new appliances and electrical devices. You should also know that an electrical panel must be correctly structured and organized because a wrong configuration could prove to be dangerous over time. So, don’t forget to check this item out!
Plumbing
The piping in the house should be copper or PVC. You are strongly advised to avoid buying a home with lead plumbing because the plumbing renovations will be costly. Lead has long been the metal of choice for making pipes, especially water pipes.
Did you know that the word “plumbing” actually came from this material? However, the toxicity of this heavy metal, which causes lead poisoning (a disease that can cause anemia, digestive disorders, nervous disorders, mental retardation, infertility, certain cancers, etc.), has been discovered for a few years.
The Land
To be sure of the success of your real
estate purchase project, the interior of the house must be as compliant as the exterior. If you see a negative slope going straight towards the house, it may be prone to flooding. Ask the homeowner if he has ever encountered such problems, and feel free to inspect the basement to see its condition.