Home Inspection Tips for New Buyers

When you’re buying your dream home, often it comes with a bunch of repair work. Some of it may seem like fun DIY projects, but when you’re already putting down a lot of money to buy the home in the first place, make sure you don’t immediately have to take out a second load to deal with all the urgent repairs.

Things you can test yourself before closing on a new home

Tips to inspecting your Colorado home before buying

Turn on all the faucets in the house to make sure they work and that the sinks are draining properly.

When you’re buying a home you need to do more than just fantasize about how you’re going to decorate and where your couch is going to go. Before you can paint the walls and hang your curtains, you need to make sure that the home is ready to be moved into. On top of the professional inspection that we know you’re going to get, there’s a checklist of things that you can test out yourself to get an idea of how much of a fix-me-upper your new home really is.

Turn all the faucets, check the drainage and flush the toilets

Make sure everything is working the way it should be. This means turning on all the faucets and checking to make sure everything drains right. You should also flush all the toilets. And don’t just flush, flush some toilet paper. It’s the toilet paper that will clog your drains. Make sure the toilet can handle the paper.

A faucet or a toilet might not be that big of a deal, but a clogged or faulty drainage system can be a pain in the neck.

If you’re buying an old house, do a little taste test on the water. Old pipes may cause your water to start tasting and looking a little funky. Again, installing filters isn’t the most expensive thing in the world, but it’s one of those little things that can start to add up. Especially is you also have to replace all the faucets, and fix the drainage.

Home inspection tips for new home and business owners in Colorado

Open all the windows. Having to replace warped or drafty windows can be a big extra expense for a new homeowner.

New windows can be a big extra expense for new homeowners

Next, open up all the windows. Make sure they don’t stick, jam or are completely broken. This is a big one. Warped windows and doors could mean more serious problems for the structure of a building, but you professional home inspection will find this problem before you will. If you’re lucky and it’s just a matter of replacing old windows, it’s still going to be expensive. If this expense seems worth it, you may want to go the extra mile and get some energy efficient windows and maybe make up a little of the cost on your utility savings.

Finally, always keep your eyes peeled for signs of moisture, mold or water damage. This can be basement moisture, warped wallpaper, discolored paint, or evident mold stains. If there is carpet, pull up a corner to make sure it’s not hiding mold and mildew. Water damage is going to be your deal breaker if you go to buy a home. This is also why you want to invest in a professional third party home inspection.

Stucco home inspection tips before buying

A third party professional home inspection specialist will have the right tools to check your home more thoroughly before you sing on that dotted line.

Get a professional third party inspection to test for hidden faults

Little cosmetic repairs are normal and they can help you put your own little touch on a new home. A professional will help you spot serious issues like water damage, structural repairs and faulty installation.

This is the biggest investment of your life. The more you know about your potential new home, the better equipped you are to negotiate a deal. Or, at least you’ll be aware of the repairs that you need to invest in.