What to Look Out for During a Pre Purchase Home Pest Inspection
Would you happily buy a car without taking it out for a quick test drive around the block first? Or how about an expensive piece of gear without getting to know how it performs? Well that’s how you should consider your potential new home; an item that needs to be evaluated first before you commit to buy. That’s exactly what a pre purchase home inspection consists of. You’ll be metaphorically taking your potential new home for a ‘test drive’ before deciding on whether or not it’s right for you. So what sort of things should you look out for during a home inspection?
Well there are several different things that can happen to a home as the years progress. These range from minor aesthetic issues, all the way to roof-crumbling catastrophes. Let’s get to know a few of the most common things that you should keep an eye out for during your home inspection, starting with the outside and making our way in.
First of all, take a look at how the house looks from the outside. Pay careful attention to the way that the house sits; is it lopsided, leaning slightly or is it perfectly straight? If the house looks like it could be leaning at all, even if it’s just the roofing then this could represent a significant problem. Maybe the foundations are starting to buckle, or perhaps the walls hadn’t been constructed properly. If all appears fine, then make your way inside.
Pay careful attention to any signs of cracking in the walls. Although cracks can be pretty common as a house expands and contracts as the seasons and temperatures change; larger cracks might be a sign of something much worse. If the home’s foundations and framework are starting to crumble or weaken, then they may not be able to support the full weight of the structure and lead to cracks.
Next up we have one of the most common problems that houses fall victim to, and that’s damp. This isn’t your regular type of ‘spilling water on the floor’ damp, this is the home-destroying moisture that settles in to walls, ceilings and floors and begins to eat away at the structure itself. Signs of damp include dark patches on walls and ceilings, even if they’ve been freshly painted, as well as small bacterial-spots appearing around corners and doorways. This latter type of damp can usually be treated with a few chemicals, but damp that goes deep in to the structure can be very difficult to manage.
So there you have it, several key points that you should look out for when performing your pre purchase home inspection. If you’re looking for a professional evaluation, then seek advice from a qualified home surveyor and have them review your potential property for you. If it’s safe then go ahead, if not then try another option. More at Control Pest Management pest inspections.