Friday, February 13, 2015

How To Perform Home Inspections

By Beryl Dalton


Taking time to carry out a house assessment is one of the most important things that you can do when buying a house. Defects that were not foreseen can end up costing you hundreds of dollars in repairs once you have moved in to the house. If you are the person who will be performing the home inspections, you have to focus on areas that are most likely to be in need of repairs.

Divide the assessment into two; exterior and interior. Start with the exterior and finish with the interior. This will require you to begin by taking a look at the gutters and the roof.

Begin the exterior assessment by inspecting the chimney, the roof and the gutters. The chimney needs to be straight with no bricks or mortars missing. As for the gutters, what you need to do is make sure they are still firmly attached to the sides.

Take some time checking out the siding. It is important to make certain that walls are not bulging or bowing in any one place. In addition, there should be no missing bricks. This only applies to houses constructed using bricks and mortars.

The entire weight of a house rests on the foundation area. If the foundation is weak, it will only be a matter of time before things starts falling apart. You therefore have to check for the presence of cracks and shifting.

A door inspection will need to be performed when you are entering the residence. With the door, all you need to do is check for rotting and stripping. Stripping comes around due to exposure to harsh weather elements while rotting is as a result of exposure to too much water.

An interior assessment can begin by checking out the windows. Windows are tested by moving them up and down and also testing the locks that are in place. Caulking, placed along the windows should also be in good repair at all times.

Examine the flooring condition. For this, you must pay special attention to presence of cracks in the tiles, carpeting that has become worn out and also the presence of sloping. In some cases, sloping is caused by the normal setting of the floor. This however can also be brought about by a problem present in the foundation.

Do not forget to examine the ceiling. With the ceiling, the main thing to check for is whether it has stained in any areas. Staining is often brought about by leaks taking place. Leaks are common in properties that have roofs with holes.

Always complete your assessment in the kitchen area. This is one of the most important areas of a house and you will therefore need to ensure that you spend some time checking it out. Examine all the cabinets, the finishing that has been used and also ensure you check out the counter tops as well.




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