You can see from their faces that my clients were thrilled when they found the perfect home in the perfect neighborhood and their offer was accepted. The house had been rehabbed and highlighted the beautiful built-ins, fireplace and hardwood floors. It even had a new kitchen, new windows and was freshly painted with agreeable colors so it was move-in ready.
Don’t be fooled by beautiful cosmetics, however… they still wisely had an inspection, even more important with an older home! There were concerns the inspection revealed, and they were lucky they had a cooperative seller and were able to work through multiple issues all the way up until closing… but could have been out thousands of dollars more without that inspection.
Here are some important considerations when buying any home, but especially an older home. They didn’t all come up at this property but a number of them did.
- Foundation – be aware of not just the walls but also the support system, beams, water issues, etc
- Roof – check for condition which won’t trigger an issue with insurance, multiple layers, ice dams, insulation, etc
- Fireplace – are the firebox, chimney, etc in safe working condition
- Windows – are they functioning, single pane, energy efficient, do they function properly, do they need glazing, etc
- Radon – this can be a concern in any age home
- Sewer – the sewer line from the house to the street is the homeowner’s responsibility, more prone to problems in older properties and in areas with mature trees
- Plumbing – does it have old galvanized pipes, are pipes corroded and in danger of bursting, does it have proper venting, are pipes in danger of freezing in cold weather, etc
- Electrical – has the electrical box been updated, if knob and tube wiring in still in use it could cause a problem with securing insurance, etc
- Heating – check for a heat source for all living areas, functional heating plant, what about air conditioning options if that is lacking
This list is by no means comprehensive, just a place to start when considering the purchase of an older home… listen to your inspector. An older home can bring new meaning to being described as full of character which continues to evolve!
Sharlene Hensrud, RE/MAX Results – shensrud@homesmsp.com
P.S. …yes, these buyers were still smiling at closing!
