It’s an exciting moment in your life when you’re finally able to take a step up on the economic ladder and ditch the apartment life to purchase your first home. Purchasing any home is exciting, for that matter. It’s a good reminder that you’ve been working hard to achieve your goals, and when you take this step, you don’t want to make any mistakes. Mistakes being accidentally moving into a home that may look like a good investment, but structurally it is a disaster. We’re here to help you identify some of the things that you should be looking for. Let’s discuss this.

No signs of damage.

A home with any amount of ‘damage’ is guaranteed to be some amount of a headache. If you’re looking at a home with obvious signs of water damage, stay away. You may be tempted because it’s a beautiful home, and the realtor promises that it's not that big of a fix, but trust me. It can and most likely will be. Water damage is a tricky thing because sometimes there can be damage affecting the walls, floors, and the overall foundation. The origins of the water damage may be difficult to pinpoint and cost you in time and money. A subtle sign of that there may be water damage in a home, look for discolored rings on the ceilings, and other surfaces. Look in the basement, see the items are propped up off the ground due to past flooding. These are some of the questions that you should be asking to protect yourself.

Healthy structure.

Before you even enter the home, take a look at the overall appearance of the home. Does the roof look sturdy, or does it have any shingles that appear loose or missing? Does the paint on the siding look old and outdated? These are issues that you want to get inspected sooner rather than later because they could become very costly later down the road. Also, keep in mind to take a good look at the foundation of the home. These are the things that will protect you during a storm, and sturdy materials will last you much longer.

Easily opened windows.

The windows will play a huge role in how expensive your energy bill will be. Look for any condensation that may be building up on the glass. If you see a lot of moisture, the warm air inside of the home may be escaping due to poor insulation. Those will need to be replaced soon. Also, when you’re looking at a home, don’t be afraid to open the windows. If you’re having some difficulty getting them open, it may be an early warning of foundation problems.

Hire a home inspector.

When it comes to the place that you plan to call home, you want to make sure that your family will be safe and healthy. The best way to ensure that is by enlisting the help of a professional. A home inspector won’t be there trying to sell you anything. They’ll give you an upfront and honest opinion on the conditions of the home. Almost every house has a defect. It’s better to know before you buy it. It may even end up saving you some money on the overall cost of the home.

We hope that this information has been helpful to you, and we appreciate your continued support. If you have any more questions, you can reach out to us. Have a great rest of your week!

-New Look Roofing Team

For any questions or comments, please feel free to email us at jwest@newlookroofs.com, we hope you have a great day and thanks for reading! 

- Julian