If you are a prospective home buyer, then you need to be very cautious about defect cover-ups and poorly renovated work before making a step in buying a home according to our gay realtor expert. In this case if it’s a “Flipped” home then you should be on full alert by ensuring that the investor didn’t use quick fix/questionable means when remodeling the home for sale.
Below are some great points to save you from purchasing a home that is poorly renovated with potential issues behind the new paint.
Who is responsible for the work done?
Make sure you investigate the contractor and see if the company is recognized with a good reputation. Check the Better Business Bureau and state licensing organizations for past customer complaints/pending issues.
Another thing to do is to find out who the flipper is, in most cases the real-estate listing fails to mention them so you can take the measure of going to the assessor’s office to find out the last deed holder of the house. Once you find them out, analyze and see if it’s a reputable firm.
Avoid people who are still amatures in the business. This will help save your money.
Hire a home inspector
There are some things that shouldn’t be taken lightly, therefore find a credible home inspector and plumber that knows the evolution of plumbing to perform a thorough inspection of the home. In some scenarios, homes that have been flipped are at greater risk and might cost more losses in terms of maintenance and repair costs.
To illustrate this point, a novice will likely put some new shingles on the roof but will fail to repair the roof decking. Some even do the extremes of repainting old ventilation, air conditioning and heating systems to make them appear new.
Remember that home inspectors are human beings so they may fail to identify a potential problem. They are not “Superman” who can see through concrete and identify damages such as poor wiring, but they may be able to tell wheter or not a concrete repair is also needed. Their services still are of great importance and they can spot some evidence that could have taken years for a home owner to identify.
Look for structural, electrical and plumbing problems
The costs of repairing an entire house foundation can be very expensive, so if by chance you detect any problems see to it that you hire a structural engineer to closely examine it. Look for red flags such as leaking pipes which should be fixed by expert plumbers like plumber in the Sydney Inner West prior the purchase.
Poorly leveled floors and ragged finish works are clear indicators of structural problems that are being masked off. This calls for civil engineering services from the city engineer’s office or from a private firm for inspection.
Has the electrical box/main panel been replaced?, is there proper service? And has the furnace, water heater and plumbing been updated / galvanized pipes replaced / sewer drain scoped? Many times a plumbing and water heater repair is needed in the home without notice. To hire the best HVAC company do your research and visit their website here. For additional HVAC guidance and options visit https://aqualityhvac.org/.
Check the permits
If you happen to have identified that the home you are intending to buy has recently undergone renovations, then contact the local building department to ensure that all the permits were properly pulled and closed out with good inspection done at the end of it.
Find out if the people involved in the house renovations were licensed, bonded and insured professionals.
Author Jeff Hammerberg is a gay realtor and the Founding CEO of GayRealEstate.com ~ Offering Free Instant Access to the Nation’s Top Gay, Lesbian and Gay Friendly Realtors Coast to Coast. FREE Buyers Representation ~ Free Relocation Kit to any City, USA ~ Free Sellers Market Analysis for home sellers.