Things You Should be Wary of When Inspecting a Property

So you have finally found a property that stands out and appeals to you. What’s more, your family is happy with it too! It fits the budget, ticks all the boxes, and you can see yourself living in it for years to come.

You are understandably happy, but before you sign any papers we suggest you look at some very crucial aspects of this property to ensure your money is put to good use.

Home owners typically present their property in the best possible light to create a great impression on prospective buyers. This may involve glossing over a few unflattering bits here and there, or distracting you with grand staging so that your eyes only see that which is in the spotlight.

This isn’t to imply that home sellers are out to deliberately mislead you, only that you need to not get carried away by the cosmetic appearance of a building. Run the following checklist on a property that catches your fancy the next time to ensure the house doesn’t throw up unpleasant surprises later on.

Check the property’s plumbing system

Plumbing problems can feel particularly nasty in newly-purchased properties; you have just moved in and you already have plumbing issues to deal with!

These problems, however, do not develop overnight. If you get a professional to inspect a property’s plumbing system in detail prior to purchasing it, you’d be able to spot a number of potential problems and save yourself a lot of grief.

Old or cracked pipelines

Home owners may not always be aware of the problems related to pipelines buried under the earth. Pipes deteriorate with time and older ones may break in places. When this happens, you may be greeted with a flooded basement when you operate the washing machine or the dishwasher. Sometimes the sewer lines can get clogged, leading to backed up toilets or slow water drainage.

• Check all the taps in the property and pay particular attention to the flow of the   water and how quickly it drains.
• Check if the water heater is working fine.
• Check for rusty pipes and signs of leakage.
• Check the eavestroughs running around the roof and the exterior of the building and see where they direct the water to. If the water pools near your foundation walls it’s just a problem for you to fix.

Has the roof been waterproofed?

If the house you are looking at has a flat roof, it is important for it to be waterproofed or you may notice damp ceilings or even water leakage during rains and snow.

In case of sloping roofs, old or improperly installed roofing materials can be a cause of concern. Shingles, whether made of wood or asphalt, can curl, lift, split, rot, and even collapse as they age. Terracotta and concrete tiles are brittle and prone to expansion and contraction with time, which results in them cracking and breaking. If the tiles on the roof of the house you are considering purchasing are a few decades old, you are likely looking at a big bill sooner than later. Roof repairs can be expensive so check with the owner that the property does not experience any roofing problems whatsoever.

Does the basement experience flooding?

Ask the homeowner frankly if the basement of the house has ever flooded. If the answer is yes, it’s highly likely that flooding is not the only thing you will have to worry about after you move in. If it’s an old construction and has seen flooded basements over many seasons, water seepage must have caused damage to its foundation walls. Enquire about the state of the sump pump and if the basement has been waterproofed.  If not, ask what the owners are planning to do about it. Keep your eyes peeled for any kind of cracks, patches of dampness, or a growth of mildew on the basement walls, or indeed anywhere else in the property, including on the garden walls. It’s not a good idea to move into a property that you will have to fix right away.

Jon Labelle is the marketing manager of www.AquamasterPlumbing.com, a basement waterproofing company that offers professional and efficient waterproofing solutions for commercial, and residential clients in Toronto and Mississauga.