As a home buyer, there are endless things you must keep your eyes open for, even after the search for your Ucluelet dream home has come to an end.
You may have found the perfect house for you, but there’s always the home inspection that can put a wrench in the spokes of the buy.
We always hope that sellers will be upfront with any issues that the home may have had in the past, but the fact is, sometimes home-sellers will try to hide possible problems, some that may have been “quick-fixed” and could pass under the nose of the home inspector.
However there can be issues within homes that aren’t disclosed to the REALTOR®, and while we here on the Gray Team are experts at sniffing out possible issues, we want to help you know more about the 4 most common problems that home-sellers try to hide:
The ocean and the temperate rainforest which surround Ucluelet does make for plenty of moisture in the air. Lucky here in Ucluelet, we have exceptional building standards because of the extreme weather the homes must endure, year after year.
This is not to say that dampness can’t get into some homes and cause a myriad of dangerous problems that we want you to be able to sniff out for yourselves.
This is very literally how one can detect the presence of moisture; the smell of must or mildew in the room. It is often rather distinct, but can also be covered up by the use of certain scents, which can be a red flag if a home-buyer’s home seems to be over fragranced.
The use of a scented candle or baked goods certainly is common place when showing a home, however, do be mindful when a home smells ‘off’ – your nose doesn’t lie.
When it comes time for the home inspection, be sure to find out what kind of pest inspection is going to be conducted on the home.
You want to be sure that an inspection, inside and out, will be done because it is very easy to camouflage damage done by termites or other critters with a simple coat of paint.
Often times, the damage can be in places that we would never normally look, like inside the walls or under the deck, so make sure to double-check whether the property will be checked for pests.
Any complications with the structure of a home are an immediate red-flag.
Perhaps is a roof that is sagging or a crack in the foundation; these types of issues are only going to get worse with time, and are never quick or inexpensive to deal with. Make sure the home inspector inspects all areas, above and below, and if any issues with the structure arise, you might want to consider a sale price negotiation for the cost of repairs, or maybe move on to another home altogether…
To set your mind at ease, you will want to know the ages of the water heater, boilers or air conditioners.
If the home-sellers cannot divulge this information, then you might want to double-check with the home inspection agent on when the major home systems were last replaced or maintained. Most installations or systems used can be diagnosed by a qualified home inspector, and they can divulge to you the current state of each system.
As a home-buyer you will want to know if any of the major installations are coming to the end of their life, or perhaps several are going to need replacement soon. This will change the attractiveness of the home, if you have to replace major systems in the first few years of moving.
If there is still ample shelf life on these systems, then you can take a few years to budget for the upgrades, but if not, perhaps it’s not the home for you after all.
There can potential problems that home sellers try to hide, but we will always do our best to have the most current and in depth information for anyone buying a home in Ucluelet. We simply believe in empowering people to know more about the home-buying process, so we share what we have learned in our 20+ years in Ucluelet Real Estate.
If you have any questions about a home you are about to buy in Ucluelet, or if you’d like to #StartLivingInUkee, please do feel free to contact us!
