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So you’re buying a home—congrats! Investing in a house is an awesome way to build wealth. But buying a home can feel a lot like gambling if you’re not sure how to spot a potential money pit.
Good news is, knowing what to look for when buying a home is pretty simple. Of course, there are some general things to look for when buying a house, like size, school district and neighborhood vibe. Aside from the typical things that you search for, you may also be astonished if you know how to find an artesian well on your property.
But once you’re settled on all that, you’ll need to know if a home has good bones—is it built to last or about to fall over? Here’s our list of the seven important things you should look for in a house to help answer that question—so you can feel confident you’ve got a rock-solid home.
7 Key Things to Look for When Buying a House
Before we launch into the nitty-gritty of what to look for when buying a home, make sure you’re financially (and emotionally) ready to buy a house. Once you’ve got the green light to start searching for a house, look for these seven things and don’t forget of the security of your property with Defend Security Group.
1. Roof Condition
Unless you’re Shaq-sized or have a drone handy, you probably won’t be able to actually see a home’s roof during a showing. But that doesn’t mean you can just forget about it—after all, the cost of a new roof ranges from $5,000–12,000.1
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Avoid surprise roofing costs down the road by figuring out a roof’s condition with these questions:
How old is the roof? If you want to know how long a roof is going to last, you need to know what it’s made of. For example, asphalt shingle roofs should last around 20 years. Once you know a roof’s age, compare that to the typical lifespan of the material it’s made of to see how long it’s got left.
Does the homeowner have a roof certification letter? Contractors give roof certification letters after an inspection that estimates the lifespan of the roof over the next 2–5 years.2 Not all sellers will have this, but it never hurts to ask.
Can a roof inspection clear things up? If you’re concerned about the roof’s age and condition, you may want to get a roof inspection to determine if a new roof is needed, in case of damage a new roof may be the best option, this could even give you the option of getting a new design like a flat roof. Roof inspections are different from home inspections, since home inspectors don’t always check out the roof. If you go by the home inspection report alone, you could miss some costly repairs.
2. Reliable HVAC
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