Buying a new house is always an incredible feeling. In today’s market, not only is purchasing your own house a huge personal accomplishment, but it is also an investment for the future. When getting caught up in the excitement of owning your first or a new home, it can be difficult to look at the building critically. In the below guide, we will highlight a few of the major things you should be looking out for.
Structural Problems
Once the construction of a house is complete, any structural flaws in the house are likely there to stay. Structural flaws that are a result of foundation failure can be incredibly expensive and, in a lot of cases, impossible to repair. Be sure to keep a close eye out for any of the points mentioned below.
- Diagonal cracks – Diagonal cracks stemming from the corners of walls, doors and even window frames are a sign of impending structural failure. At times this can be because of bad installation, to be sure, check on the other side of said wall as well. If the crack is stemming from both sides or all the way through the wall, it is likely a case of structural failure.
- Patch work – Look for areas in the house that have been recently painted or reconditioned. A lot of times this could simply be refurbishment that the owners wanted to do, perhaps there were holes in the wall from paintings being hung. If the patch work has been done in areas that take a lot of strain like arch ways, corners, and joints, this can present more of a concern. Structural problems can be easy to patch and hide for the moment and will usually only become clear again in a year or two. Try and use the levelling of the area repaired to tell if the repair was from cracks or not, often when the wall cracks it will do so with a slight twist and the wall alignment may not be the same after repair work is completed.
- Damp – Any bubbling paint or off coloured areas are a sure sign of damp. Damp could have been caused by an already remedied problem or a structural issue. When in doubt, it is best to bring in a professional to locate the source of the damp and provide estimates for repair before purchasing a house.
If any of these issues are present, or you are not comfortable in searching for them, don’t hesitate to contact a structural engineer to have a look at the house structure for you. It may not be the cheapest option at the moment but stands to save you a lot of money in the long run that you can use on ZAR casino slots.
Electrical Problems
House sellers will need to supply you with a COC or Certificate of Compliance. While this is a great start to giving you comfort regarding the electrical systems and Data cable installation, it can be difficult to tell if any other work was done after the COC was issued. It is good practice to hire an electrician to do a quick look over of the house to confirm the validity of the current standing COC before making a potentially expensive mistake. Electrical problems may seem easy to fix but can become incredibly expensive and dangerous if left without repair.