First of all, when you are looking for a new home, you should pay attention to the house itself, in which you intend to live, collect as much as possible, reliable information on the building – the year of construction, the material of the walls – from what the house was built, when was the last major overhaul, what specifically changed – the roof or utilities.
A new home is not always ideal. The developer can save a lot on building materials, which later can manifest itself in external signs – in the quality of decoration, water supply, and communications.
Let’s take a look at four things that will tell you everything about your future home.
Redecorating
During a general inspection of the apartment, pay attention to traces of recent redecorating. Perhaps the landlord has tried to hide serious shortcomings from you in a hurry. Look around, and maybe somewhere, there will be a can of paint or a roll of wallpaper. Fresh plaster on the wall or on the ceiling should also alert you when viewing the apartment – perhaps this is an attempt to veil fungus or mold, maybe the roof is leaking, or neighbors are constantly flooding this apartment.
Plumbing
Go to the bathroom and inspect the plumbing equipment – mixers, taps, valves, and pipes before buying an apartment. Many surprises can also be hidden in the boxes above the risers. Check the water pressure – only a thin trickle may ooze on the upper floors.
Heating
Pay attention to the heating radiators, check the condition of the batteries, and if you came to inspect the apartment during the heating season, you could immediately feel and check how much they heat. Take a look around and take a closer look. Perhaps there is an electric heater hidden somewhere in the corner.
Smells
Smells, when walking through a house, viewing an apartment before buying, can tell us a lot. In general, sometimes it seems to me that you don’t really need to look in the apartment, you just need to close your eyes and smell, and everything will become clear – is it worth buying this apartment?
When examining an apartment before buying, especially pay attention to what and how it smells in the apartment. It can smell like gas due to a leak and depressurization of the gas pipeline; it can smell musty and damp – maybe the apartment is poorly ventilated, the windows never open in it, perhaps the apartment is poorly lit, and because of this, it does not dry out enough. Maybe there are problems with the hood and ventilation. It can smell like standing water due to problems with the sewerage system. I would like to emphasize once again that it is worth focusing on smells and smells before buying an apartment on the secondary market, as gas leaks are not unheard of, in older homes with previous tenants.
Inspection during the purchase and sale of an apartment should be carried out during the daytime. Don’t forget to ask questions to the owner.
Written by Bader Albader, market researcher.