New Homeowners Day: 3 Tips for Success
May 1st is New Homeowners Day, which doesn’t seem any less real than Talk Like a Pirate Day, so we’re going to go with it. At Ayers, we deal with a lot of new homeowners, either during the inspection process when they’re considering buying a home, or after they’ve already purchased a home, only to discover problems in the basement or crawl space. Here are three tips from us to you, to make buying your new home less of a headache.
- Get an Inspection
An inspection is vital when you’re considering putting an offer in on a home. After making an offer, you generally enter the inspection period, in which you can get inspections done for a variety of potential problems and rescind your offer without penalty. If a home inspector sees signs of water or foundation problems, they may recommend calling us, or you may want to call us directly.
- Use Your Nose
That weird smell? That’s often a sign of water problems and mold. The smell may be especially strong in the closets, which don’t have the benefit of much air circulation, or it may get worse as you walk down the stairs toward the basement.
- Look Upstairs
Huge cracks in the walls are an obvious sign of potential foundation problems, but so is a window that’s hard to open, or a front door that needs an extra hip check to close. Sticking doors and windows, cracks emanating from doorframes, and gaps between baseboards and the floor are all signs in a house of problems with the foundation. It’s important to pay attention to the whole house.
Buying a new home should be an exciting time in your life, full of possibilities and plans. Don’t let the worry of what’s lurking beneath ruin the experience. Call Ayers for a FREE inspection, and the only worry you’ll have is when to throw the housewarming party.
