Ways To Perform Your Own Home Inspections

By Beryl Dalton


Taking time to carry out a house assessment is one of the most important things that you can do when buying a house. Defects that were not foreseen can end up costing you hundreds of dollars in repairs once you have moved in to the house. If you are the person who will be performing the home inspections, you have to focus on areas that are most likely to be in need of repairs.

Divide the assessment into two; exterior and interior. Start with the exterior and finish with the interior. This will require you to begin by taking a look at the gutters and the roof.

Ensure you begin by checking out the chimney, gutter and the roofs. For the roof, make certain that all shingles are intact. Gutters should be firmly attached to the siding and the roof sprouts must be directed away from the wall. For a chimney, all you have to do is make sure it is straightened out.

Take some time checking out the siding. It is important to make certain that walls are not bulging or bowing in any one place. In addition, there should be no missing bricks. This only applies to houses constructed using bricks and mortars.

It is very important to make sure you examine the foundation of this house. When looking at a foundation, you will need to focus on any cracks that could be present, signs of shifting and whether flaking is happening. If there happens to be a chalky substance forming along the foundation, this could be an indication that there is leaking taking place.

As you head into the house, be sure to spend some time carefully inspecting all doors. Where wooden doors are present, there should be no rotting taking place. Ensure you also check the bottom of each door for weather-stripping.

Windows should be the first thing you examine when inside the residence. In many cases, the windows are left wide open. Move them from side to side without exerting pressure and note down your findings. You should also test all the locks found on the doors and in the windows.

Examine the flooring condition. For this, you must pay special attention to presence of cracks in the tiles, carpeting that has become worn out and also the presence of sloping. In some cases, sloping is caused by the normal setting of the floor. This however can also be brought about by a problem present in the foundation.

Ensure you also check the ceiling for any repair signs. Repair signs often come in the form of bulging in some sections. In addition to repair signs, check whether the roof is leaking by determining whether there are any visible water marks on this ceiling.

Always complete your assessment in the kitchen area. This is one of the most important areas of a house and you will therefore need to ensure that you spend some time checking it out. Examine all the cabinets, the finishing that has been used and also ensure you check out the counter tops as well.




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