# Things to check for when viewing a house



## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

We will be looking for houses to purchase in about two weeks time. We will have about 7 days to browse our new town, view houses, put an offer in and hopefully be accepted.

Can you please help me by listing things that we should look for when first viewing a house. Things that may not be apparent at first, or not everyone would know about. Some of these things MAY be caught by a home inspector, and other things may not be necessary on the first viewing, but isn't it nicer to know you have some additional knowledge when viewing houses?

Here are a few things that I've thought of that may not be apparent to everyone:

1. Check for smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors (I know you can install them, but it does give an indication of household care and maintenance)

2. Basement bedrooms - check for proper egress as per fire codes (can be found online, I have a copy printed off and will take a tape measure to house viewings with me).

3. Electrical Outlets - if you have an ipod, cell phone charger, even hair dryer... you can check and make sure any suspect outlets are working

4. Flush toilets, turn on taps, check how long it takes for hot water to reach the sinks etc

I appreciate if others can add to my list - even if you're not sure if something is common knowledge, it doesn't hurt to list it in case I happen to be clueless


----------



## arie (Mar 13, 2011)

*view house*

since when did you become a home inspector??? if there is suspicious new work done in the basement ie new paint , new drywall it may be hiding water damage otherwise 

make the offer conditional on a satisfactory inspection

you must like the type of home and the area ; if kids are there other children in the neighbourhood -- schools ; how close to transportation and to work


----------



## donald (Apr 18, 2011)

I would check the following:the basement walls and foundation,look for leaks and cracks,findout if there was any basement flooding.

Check the roof,see what shape the shingles are in and how old is the roof,check for proper venting.

check how many amp service you have for the electrical.if its nob and tube realize that will cost big for future repairs.

check the insulation in the home,inspect the attic.

check the windows,is there condensation problems,are they double,triple pain.

there is alot i would personaly look for and those are a few,even if things look good on the surface down the road they can bite you in the ***


----------



## donald (Apr 18, 2011)

I would stay away from "character houses" personaly,they are money pits,unless you want to put a few grand aside every yr for the problems,findout why the previous owner is moving,hangout in the neighbor abit,to get a feel for it.


----------



## Berubeland (Sep 6, 2009)

Look at the house from the outside, is it square? (not tilting) do the roof lines from the front porch and the house have parallel lines. 

Structural problems are extremely costly to fix. 

Inside look for ****** floors, drywall cracking. Look to see if the door jambs and windows are parallel. 

For basements use your nose not very scientific but you can usually smell a mold problem or musty basement. Not a good sign. 

Personally I'd rather have an old unrenoed house than a flipped one so stay away from houses that have been flipped. Homeowners tend to do good repairs while flippers tend to conceal expensive structural or mold issues rather than fix them. They specialize in gorgeous cosmetics. Under the beautiful finishes is the old crap... 

that's my 2 cents


----------



## Cal (Jun 17, 2009)

Good tip regarding flushing toilets and such.

I once bought a house with a brand new dishwasher...only to find out it was not hooked up yet. The $150 bill from the plumber to hook it up didn't bug me as much as having to wait around for them to come to do it, rather than being at work.


----------



## Sampson (Apr 3, 2009)

I would spend my time and money on a good home inspector, heck get two if you really like the house. The inspector we found is thorough beyond belief, and has successfully predicted issues as they have been arising.

Ours spent about 2 h on the first condo we bought (850 sqft), a CONDO, no mechanical, no basement, no exterior etc to worry about.

And easily over 3 hours on the home we bought.

Find a good one, they are well worth it.


----------



## Guest (Apr 28, 2011)

Addy said:


> We will have about 7 days to browse our new town, view houses, put an offer in and hopefully be accepted.


7 days ... yikes ... maybe a new condo, or a new house ... but for a what's the term ... previously enjoyed ... high risk imo. If you're bound and determined, you might head off to the bookstore and browse a few of those "what to look for when buying a house" books ... I'd recommend "How to Buy a House in 7 Days" ... it's right next to "The Money Pit".

Aha ... it's obvious, grasshopper ... look for a house that is brand new


----------



## trillian (Feb 3, 2011)

If the rooms are painted in a really dark colour, check for reasons why. 

I once visited a house, and the whole house was painted in really dark blues/purples/greens etc, including the ceilings. When we visited one of the bedrooms, we noticed the ceiling had tape holding it up (water damage). We then inspected the basement and found mold on the walls. It was a disaster.


----------



## mrbizi (Dec 19, 2009)

You might also want to bring a compass when visiting homes to check the orientation of the house i.e. facing North, South etc. to determine which part of the house gets sunshine in the morning, afternoon (if it matters to you).


----------



## crazyjackcsa (Aug 8, 2010)

You might all be financial wizards... but home inspectors you are not!

Check the smoke alarm for a battery? Really? You can garner information from a smoke detector that you can't get elsewhere in the home? You should be able to tell if a home is well cared for well before looking at a smoke detector.

Check the outlets with an ipod? Will that tell you if it's grounded? Reverse polarity? Knob and Tube? Aluminium?

Flushing the toilets and trying the taps?,Fine for a pressure check, but you should be able to see water damage well before that, and hot water? The farther from the heater, the longer it takes.

Basement egress is an issue if you plan on building a basement apartment, otherwise it isn't much of an issue. (IE it won't keep you from getting insurance, or a mortgage)

It takes a DIY job less than an hour or two and a handful of tools to run a dishwasher line, total cost would be less than half of what you were charge, even if you had to buy the tools.

I'd say screw the home inspector too, I'd find a cousin, a brother in law, a father or somebody that's lived in their home for a couple of decades, or is in construction to look the place over. Their a lot better and cheaper than a inspector.

And just for fun: Why a compass? Stand outside the house. Is it the afternoon? Where's the sun. Good enough.


----------



## Berubeland (Sep 6, 2009)

rikk said:


> 7 days ... yikes ... maybe a new condo, or a new house ... but for a what's the term ... previously enjoyed ... high risk imo. If you're bound and determined, you might head off to the bookstore and browse a few of those "what to look for when buying a house" books ... I'd recommend "How to Buy a House in 7 Days" ... it's right next to "The Money Pit".
> 
> Aha ... it's obvious, grasshopper ... look for a house that is brand new


I guess you haven't been watching Holmes on Holmes he looks at a lot of new houses...it's not a guarantee. Just behind my house they've put up 50+ houses in a swamp. No joke, there used to be cat tails growing back there. I wonder if they'll leak...ha! 

Another good point I forgot is try not to buy a house in a low lying area. Concrete is porous and if water accumulates outside the house or if the water level is higher than the foundation slab it can and will seep in eventually. 

Several of the brand new houses have had to have sump pumps installed already and the people haven't even moved in.


----------



## jamesbe (May 8, 2010)

^ agreed on all fronts.

You have little time, make a list of things you want/ need and look for things like conveniences etc not if things are working. You can check out the state of the home on the second viewing / inspection. First viewing see as many as you can, if you don't like it, don't waste your time. If it has 3 bedrooms and you want 4 leave. 

#1 do you like the layout, how's the flow? Hows the parking? Good neighborhood? 

One thing we forgot to look for 3 times now is bathroom plugs. So annoying 14x14 bathroo. With one plug in the farthest wall from the sink,ugh.


----------



## dogcom (May 23, 2009)

The home inspector I got would put a device up and down every wall to read for moisture. I think that is great because it had rained a lot over the past month and if there was any problems with moisture we would know.


----------



## donald (Apr 18, 2011)

You should rethink the steps your going to take,why would you and or your partner give yourself 7 days to "go out and purchase a house"?why did you not start the process before you even sold?Im not trying to sound harsh but your on a money forum website and obviously you take a active apporch with your finances.None of your friends or family gave you advice to not slow down the process?Why not rent while your looking?

Your line of thinking is worse than a leaky foundation in my opoinion.Im not trying to sound like a [email protected] but why on earth would you handicap yourself so very much.Make time your friend and not your enemy.


----------



## Guest (Apr 29, 2011)

Berubeland said:


> I guess you haven't been watching Holmes on Holmes he looks at a lot of new houses...it's not a guarantee. Just behind my house they've put up 50+ houses in a swamp. No joke, there used to be cat tails growing back there. I wonder if they'll leak...ha! ... Several of the brand new houses have had to have sump pumps installed already and the people haven't even moved in.


Hi ... sure, no guarantee ... just to minimize risk given the time constraint ... I do a lot of threat/risk work 

OT: Sump pump ... when I built my addition the contracter suggested no need ... the runoff is fine ... I said put it in, thanks. Reason ... years before, a neighbor's pipes froze when he was away ... flooded the basement ... a sump pump would have helped with that. Besides, I grew up in old houses with sump pumps ... everyone should have one


----------



## Four Pillars (Apr 5, 2009)

Agree with Berubeland about not buying a flipped house. They can be total disasters. Any idiot can buy a old house, fix it up (without permits) and then sell it. Find out how long the sellers owned the house.

Regarding outlets - You can buy an outlet tester - it will tell you if the outlet is working and also if it's grounded. I bought mine at Home Depot - maybe $20?

Check for building permits. If the place is in good shape, it must have had work done at some point. This can also tell you if there are building permits that are still open.

And my best tip? Rent first.


----------



## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

Cal said:


> Good tip regarding flushing toilets and such.
> 
> I once bought a house with a brand new dishwasher...only to find out it was not hooked up yet. The $150 bill from the plumber to hook it up didn't bug me as much as having to wait around for them to come to do it, rather than being at work.


Are you serious? It's a $10 line and a 5 min job. If you don't know how, google it

Things I check for:

Cracks in foundation (especially under doors/windows)
Creeks in the floor, or general square and sturdiness
Leaky facets
Moisture or fogginess in windows
Date on water heater
Space remaining in the elec terminal
Drafts or insulation
Ventilation in the attic

Anyways, they have to declare any known problems or you can get it fixed afterwards. I don't sweat the small things like smoke detectors, easy fix there and I don't think it indicates poor maint. I would look at the yard or general cleanliness for that


----------



## Cal (Jun 17, 2009)

mode3sour said:


> Are you serious? It's a $10 line and a 5 min job. If you don't know how, google it


Perhaps I should get nominated to be on 'Canada's Worst Handyman' show.


----------



## DavidJD (Sep 27, 2009)

One thing I would recommend is find an insulation inspector - the kind of guy who does the energy audits - and get one done. You will see a lot more stuff with his inspection and understand the home's operating system and potential savings in costs.

However if you have a concern - even a hunch - about structure or foundation, get a real engineer to come and give you a verbal. It costs less, is revealed during or soon after the visit, allows you ask further questions on the spot and the engineer will provide more info than he would if he wrote it out. (More candid! "If it were me...." or "To fix that it will cost about___") 

If you have a concern about the roof - get a roofer. Electrical - an electrician, plumbing...

I recognize that this is task heavy and often difficult to coordinate when you have such a short time to do your 'inspection' also that your offer may not allow one at all in a competitive market. Also this could be quite a cost if you have several specialists. If you tell them you want a verbal, pay cash and have to have it done in 1 or 1.5 hours and you have them interested weeks before you start looking you can avoid this.

Avoid the 'one guy' who claims he can do everything in an inspection. We all know that is pretty worthless.

What the experts cannot tell you and need to know is the nieghbourhood. Check it out day and night, drive around look for grafitti (gang) or poorly maintained homes or businesses etc. Talking to neighbours is good. I find well kept houses have willing informants and understand what you are trying to learn. Some communities have crime stats too - you might be surprised what goes on that does not make the paper.


----------



## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

We are RE Investors and the $500 you pay a home inspector is worth it.And if they find anything major it usually means going back to seller and getting discount.Here is one thing my inspector found on a house we put an offer on ,house had complete over haul brand new siding ,kitchen etc,while down in basement he happened to find some evidence of a fire in the beams.He went to the neighbor and asked them if there was ever a fire and apparently there was a very large fire there.
You should research the home inspectors as well ,usually the agents know the good ones.


----------



## Homerhomer (Oct 18, 2010)

marina628 said:


> You should research the home inspectors as well ,usually the agents know the good ones.


I wouldn't trust agent recommended inspector, they are there to push the sale, and if they don't they won't get another inspection from the agent.

Find independent one.

Few other things that may not have been mentioned yet.

Find out how old furnace and a/c is, this will costs you a bunch if you have to replace it, and walk around neigbourhood to get a good feel of what it is around.

See if the house had energy audit done, this can give you pretty good indication how good the insulation and so on is, if yes ask for the report.

Driveway, is it in a good shape, is it wide enough for your vehicles so you don't have to move them around if you park, check neighbours property (on the side and backing into your house) the best you can, you don't want to live next to a kennel or a crack house ;-)

I agree that you are not an inspector, but the better you are prepared before you even make an offer the better.


----------



## DavidJD (Sep 27, 2009)

I remember a young couple that were very keen on purchasing a home built in the 1960s. The basement (poured) foundation had some horizontal cracks that had moved inwards. I thought they would walk away but insisted on seeing it again. When I pointed out the cracks again and said that they should not buy this without an engineer's inspection they said that $300+ was pretty steep, 'What if the report comes back bad?' thinking of it as a waste of money! I told them if that were the case it would be the best $300 expenditure they ever made!

My attitude now is if you are not willing to contact the right opinions at the right time - _Caveat Emptor_. Some people have to learn the hard way. Sadly some lessons are more expensive and take a lot longer to recover.


----------



## Northof60 (Nov 22, 2010)

I am pretty handy with renovations. Have done windows, siding, insulation, doors, soffits, facia, gutters, shingles, tiling, flooring, changed out an entire kitchen and bathroom, etc...

Not bragging, but just giving a preamble to the fact that I would *not* buy a house without having an inspection and a detailed inspection report from an independent inspector of my choosing. I am also going to ensure that he knows that I know enough to understand what a thorough job should include.

The more you learn about house construction, renos, etc, the more you learn how easy it is for big problems to be covered up with cosmetic fixes.

Also, the more you learn the more you realize what you don't know.

The three biggest concerns IMO would be electrical, condensation and foundation/structural problems. Many of the problems in these areas are easier to hide than a poorly installed window, or a shoddy job on flooring or tile, etc 

You need to worry about the big ticket items, like those noted above.


----------



## jamesbe (May 8, 2010)

Problem with inspectors is they can't see through walls. Drywall hides all bad things and you have no recourse. I've hired 2 inspectors both founds some things but they were so small i didn't care. Not sure I'd hire again.


----------



## I'm Howard (Oct 13, 2010)

Mike Holmes.


----------



## crazyjackcsa (Aug 8, 2010)

I'm Howard said:


> Mike Holmes.


Overbuilds and thinks code isn't good enough.


----------



## Four Pillars (Apr 5, 2009)

crazyjackcsa said:


> Overbuilds and thinks code isn't good enough.


I'd say he over-demos. 



> Bring it all down!!!


----------



## Berubeland (Sep 6, 2009)

I kind of like Mike Holmes, but I'd never have him in my house EVER. The problem is that he goes in and finds all this stuff wrong with your house unfortunately you never hear any talk about budget on his show. 

While it's a wonderful idea to have a perfect house with everything up to code and better, ripping stuff apart to repair is incredibly expensive. I have no idea how he does it but his gig is actually every construction person's dream. Do everything 110% with no budget to worry about. 

When I was working in construction, I would have been fired from almost every job I worked at with his philosophy. Even when dangerous items are pointed out some people inevitably choose not to spend the $$$ to repair. You really can't appreciate how bad it can get until you've worked in a 200 year old building that's been renovated umpteen times by the lowest bidder. 

Most people don't realize that in many cases they get exactly what they pay for. They think $ rather than quality.


----------



## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

I like him as well, but it's true, what you say - if all houses were built to Holmes specs, they would cost considerably more than they already do.

But even the best built homes people will update... think of all the well constructed, solid homes built in the 50's and 60's... you'll never see quality like that again, yet people rip out solid wood kitchen cupboards and put up 'pretty' chipboard ones *groan*


----------



## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

If everything was built reasonably near Holmes spec in the first place it wouldn't be so expensive, it's more expensive to have to fix things up to acceptable standard later on imo

The culture in Canada is to do things you can't see as cheaply as humanly possible. When I did renos with my father we always did all the work you couldn't see ourselves (knowing anyone with half a care would do a far better job than pros) and then pay the pros to do most of the finishing. I have the same philosophy with car repairs, anything you won't see they'll take the absolute cheapest route

Houses were definitely made better back in the day

As far as house inspectors mine mostly wrote "could not inspect" due to walls etc. He even missed cracks in the foundation but luckily they just needed to be sealed. I wouldn't buy a house without one though


----------



## donald (Apr 18, 2011)

I think for the most part holmes on holmes does a good job educating the public but he does do things way over code,and its way unrealistic in the real world ive seen episodes were he will corentine a entire house off and have "hazmat" guys come in on finding a small amt of mold he also uses screws for everything,in the real world there is no way a gc would use screws for a entire reno.I also think that its obvious that his clients got ripped off and screwed but....they are to be partly to be blamed!!!,what do they expect if they hire unlicensed contractors,and not only that they always pay upfront and list a million red flags they had,yet continue,and than holmes comes in as superman.I like real renos with that jim guy,that seems to be more realistic,mind you its obvious his clients are hiring him for quality from the get go and it seems like he doesnt suger coat anything.


----------



## ig17 (Apr 27, 2011)

jamesbe said:


> Problem with inspectors is they can't see through walls.


That's not exactly true any more. Some inspectors started to use infrared temperature sensors to check insulation behind the walls. It's a hand-held device with a small TV screen. Well-insulated areas show up as red / orange / pink. Cold spots show up as blue.


----------



## crazyjackcsa (Aug 8, 2010)

Sure, but that doesn't show structural/electrical/plumbing issues. It's a fancy little tool that impresses people without actually helping them.


----------



## Berubeland (Sep 6, 2009)

donald said:


> I like real renos with that jim guy,that seems to be more realistic,mind you its obvious his clients are hiring him for quality from the get go and it seems like he doesnt suger coat anything.


I agree that Real Renos is a much better example of what happens in real life. Jim always seems to hit problems with licences, with subs, with discoveries that cause problems along the way. With clients who get angry at him and all kinds of stuff that actually happen.


----------



## I'm Howard (Oct 13, 2010)

Florida they use a tool that checks for


----------



## I'm Howard (Oct 13, 2010)

mold.


----------



## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

I'm Howard said:


> mold.


We have got to teach Howard about the Edit button!


----------



## Berubeland (Sep 6, 2009)

Well moisture meters are nothing new, unfortunately there are about 150 million different types of mold and only 80 that are proven to be poisonous. 

Those that are dangerous tend to grow on cellulose, (paper, wood products etc.) 

You need two ingredients for mould growth, food & water. Seeds (spores) are always present. 

Why in areas that contain moisture we use any products that contain food such as drywall or wood panel I have no idea. 

Why any school would buy a portable that contains products that will feed mould when perfectly acceptable alternatives exist or could exist if the schools refused to buy the ones that do contain wood or wood products is beyond me. 

Mould does not grow on metal or plastic or ceramic tile etc. 

Possibly the worst ever case of mould I have seen was in wall mounted heating air conditioning units in a 20 year old building. The paper that held the insulation around these units was disintegrating and the insulation was falling into the drains which blocked them and caused leaks. The continually heat, humidity cycle had created a layer of toxic spores in the base of those units. Every single staff member I had got really sick from the amount of mould spores they breathed in the first day on the job. Once we all wore the proper face masks we all got better. (We had to blow out all the drains until they ran without problems) 

You never hear about this particular problem but I can assure you there was more toxic mould spores in one unit than you would find in an entire portable that was being renovated due to mould growth. (another job I worked on) Again a minor change in the insulation materials (plastic backed instead of paper backed) would prevent the growth of mould there. 

Mould prevention is not rocket science, you just need to stop feeding it. Basements being made of porous concrete in the ground also moist will always provide enough water under certain conditions to water mould.


----------



## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

Thanks everyone for your input! For those who don't know about my situation, I'm married to a fella in the air force, and the military dicates how long we have to look for a house, and when we move, etc. Some of you were quite dumbfounded to think we are only taking seven days to find a house.... well, that is the life (as they say!). Knowing we only have seven days, I do a lot of research, am not ashamed to ask anyone a question (or two, or twelve....), and I deal with multiple realtors as a way to "get an idea" of what one we will go with when the time comes. And, that time is tomorrow! So, again, thank you to everyone who pitched in.... I have my tape measure packed, and a handy dandy list of things to check while we're viewing the house. We also get a home inspection, but I don't have full trust in home inspectors (my cousin is one in Ontario, after taking a few night school courses.....), so having a list of things to check on our own before the home inspection really helps a lot. So again, thank you!!

We fly in tomorrow, then start looking at houses Monday. Wish us luck!


----------



## Financial Cents (Jul 22, 2010)

Agreed with a previous comment - really check for structural problems. New paint, other, is easy. 

I suggest the following, in no particular order:

1) check roof. New roofs start @ $3.00 per sq. foot. A typical 2-storey home would cost >$5,000 to re-roof.

2) check foundation. Cracks in foundation could be a sign of water damage. 
Foundation cracks cost ~ $500 to $1,000 each to fix.

3) check windows. Cracks, mold are no-nos. Functioning windows are very important. New windows, depending on size, can be >$500 each. 

4) for a non-city home: check septic, well pump, sump pumps, etc. Get an inspector for each system.

5) check if all appliances are in working order. 

6) check if all heating and cooling systems are in working order.

7) check water pressure and water drainage from all sinks, toilets, showers, etc.

8) check if recent "paint jobs" have been done in house. Sometimes it is a sign people are trying to cover things up 

Most other things are cosmetic and can be easily changed. Good luck!!!


----------



## brad (May 22, 2009)

Maybe we were just lucky, but the home inspector we hired was a structural engineer with degrees and certifications, and he did an incredibly thorough job. He spent almost three hours going through the place from top to bottom (went up on the roof, in the attic, checked every electrical outlet and all the plumbing, checked the basement, checked everything outside around the house, etc.), found a bunch of problems, took a bunch of photos, and sent us a 22-page bound report complete with diagrams, photos, and thorough descriptions of everything he found. Best $500 we spent, in my opinion. I would definitely go with a professional inspector.


----------

