Viewing Brantford Real Estate Properties

Now that you have a list of potential real estate properties that you are interested in and meet your criteria, it’s time to begin looking and inspecting each property.  It is easy to quickly fall in love with the appearance of a home, but this would be a mistake.  It is important to remain objective as your look at properties as appearances can be deceiving and nasty, expensive surprises could be hidden out of sight.

We recommend looking for the following when viewing properties:

• Property upkeep –  is the property well maintained – yard, driveway, inside the home (dirty, cluttered, worn down) – if the owner hasn’t bothered to make the home look presentable this is red flag and could mean problems are hidden below the surface.
• Test everything you can – test a home’s lights, toilets, faucets, air conditioning, furnace and major appliances to make sure everything works as it should.
• Water leaks & water damage – if there is evidence of leaking or water damage this is another red flag.  Water damage can create rot, damage a home’s foundation and repairing the damage or stopping the leak can be expensive.  Look for stains or bulges on walls or ceilings and check the condition of the grout in the bath and kitchen.
• Flooring – all flooring in the house should be level and solid.  Any unevenness may point to foundation or structural damage in the home and expensive repairs.
• Cracked foundation or broken mortar and bricks – Walk around the home to inspect the condition of the sidewalls (brickwork) and foundation area. If there are large cracks or broken and missing bricks apparent, this is a good indicator of foundation damage.
• Doors & windows – Test as many doors and windows as you can to make sure they open and close freely.  Sticking doors and windows are another sign of a damaged foundation.  Doors and windows are also a major area of concern for home insulation and directly affect your energy bills.
• Bring a measuring tape – this is a great time to make sure that hallways, doorways and rooms will fit what you aim to fill them with.

Even though our team has inspected thousands of homes and sellers are obligated by law to fully disclose all problems in their home, we still strongly recommend hiring a qualified home inspector.  A home inspector provides a detailed examination of the home, especially behind the scenes, to ensure you know exactly what you’re buying.  Areas for inspection include the house’s foundation, brick work, mortar, roof condition, attic, windows, doors, flooring, basement as well as the heating, electrical and plumbing systems.  This will give you an overview of how much money you will need to spend to fix any issues and any required maintenance that is necessary to keep the home in good condition.  As well as providing information about what needs work, a home inspector will also relay information about the good aspects of a home.  Home inspections are a great way to figure out if you want to make an offer and how much that offer should be.

Do not buy a home without viewing it yourself and having a qualified home inspector check it out.  Once the sale is closed, the buyer is on the hook for any required repairs, so protect yourself before you purchase.  Our realty group is always available to help, even after a transaction has closed.

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