Things to look for in the exterior of the house
January 19, 2009
Seven danger signals exist on the exterior of a house, and five others can signal problems on the interior. These dangers?and more?should be checked professionally prior to closing.
Exterior
Number one: Termites. Termites can cause enormous damage and go undetected for years. Then, long after you purchase the house, sections of wood begin to crumble. A careful inspection can save you thousands.
Number two: Dry rot. Parallel to termites, this problem is unique to wood. Look under eaves, etc.
Number three: Cracked foundations. Cracked foundations don’t heal themselves. They only get worse.
Number four: Settling foundations. When a foundation settles, two problems result: the walls go out of plumb and interior cracks begin to appear.
Number five: Discolored roof sections. Discoloration in itself isn’t a major factor. You just want to be sure the discoloration isn’t an indication of deeper trouble such as the need to repair or replace part of the roof.
Number six: Missing mortar from the chimney. This isn’t as cataclysmic as some of the others, but it’s an indicator that other problems may exist elsewhere because of lack of maintenance.
Number seven:
Carleton Sheets is an expert real estate investor and the author of the No Down Payment System. Of course, Carleton is an avid real estate investor. However, he is also passionate about teaching others about how to build their real estate investment empire.