Exterior Inspection.
What you will need: Camera, tape measure, ladder, paper and pencil, and flashlight.
When inspecting a property to ascertain it's potential for renovation and/or resale you should start from the ground and work your way up to the roof. As you inspect each prospective property its a good idea to take photos as it's easy to get confused between properties when your looking at more than 1 or 2 at a time. This is also good for a diary of the places you have looked at. Also a property you have made an offer on, and been rejected, or have rejected yourself for some reason, may look better after a month or two of searching, and the seller’s attitude to offers, may have altered in the time since your offer was made.
Draw a rough site plan showing where the buildings sit on the block step out measurements to fences etc. Note any ideas on this plan as you inspect. Note any trees or other natural features of the site.
After a few inspections these checks become second nature and take little time. It will be an advantage to do a dry run or two to hone your skills. If you can do these inspections with a partner you can have a lot of fun, asking the sellers agent tricky questions and seeing how much you can save on the buying price. Remember you can make more money when you buy, than when you sell.
Footings - The footings for a house are usually Continuous/Strip (brick and brick veneer construction) or isolated pad (stumps or piers). These footings (usually concrete) connect with the foundation, normally a clay base that will minimize movement and connect the building to the ground.
What you will need: Camera, tape measure, ladder, paper and pencil, and flashlight.
When inspecting a property to ascertain it's potential for renovation and/or resale you should start from the ground and work your way up to the roof. As you inspect each prospective property its a good idea to take photos as it's easy to get confused between properties when your looking at more than 1 or 2 at a time. This is also good for a diary of the places you have looked at. Also a property you have made an offer on, and been rejected, or have rejected yourself for some reason, may look better after a month or two of searching, and the seller’s attitude to offers, may have altered in the time since your offer was made.
Draw a rough site plan showing where the buildings sit on the block step out measurements to fences etc. Note any ideas on this plan as you inspect. Note any trees or other natural features of the site.
After a few inspections these checks become second nature and take little time. It will be an advantage to do a dry run or two to hone your skills. If you can do these inspections with a partner you can have a lot of fun, asking the sellers agent tricky questions and seeing how much you can save on the buying price. Remember you can make more money when you buy, than when you sell.
Footings - The footings for a house are usually Continuous/Strip (brick and brick veneer construction) or isolated pad (stumps or piers). These footings (usually concrete) connect with the foundation, normally a clay base that will minimize movement and connect the building to the ground.
If the footings are inadequate the problem will show up as cracks in brickwork and/or walls that aren't level or straight, stand at the corners of the building and look along the walls to see if they bow out or in, stand at the middle of the wall at a distance and check if the wall is level and straight, the brickwork and weather board lines will show if the footing have sunk.
Underpinning is the term used for leveling and reinforcing the strip footings if they have sunk or moved and can be potentially very expensive. With houses that have isolated footings, restumping will be necessary to rectify any problems; this could mean all stumps or just a few.
If you have any doubt as to the footings integrity, get a professional to asses the footings.
As you inspect the footings check if down pipes are connected to the storm water system or discharge directly onto the ground near the footings, these will have to be connected to a system to divert water away from the building.
Under Flooring - If the floor is raised, on stumps or piers, an under floor inspection is necessary. The ground under the building should be dry and clear of rubbish or stored goods. The under floor should be well ventilated. Here you should look for evidence of water that has been sitting under the house in the past, if low areas look like water has been lying, or are more cracked than surrounding ground their could be a problem, broken pipes, ground water, or incorrect storm water discharge, can be the source.
Check if there has been movement of stumps and piers, rotting wooden stumps, damage to bearers and joists, any previous renovation work, insect infestation, and in termite areas, any sign of termite activity or damage.
Check if there has been movement of stumps and piers, rotting wooden stumps, damage to bearers and joists, any previous renovation work, insect infestation, and in termite areas, any sign of termite activity or damage.
Check that there are enough under floor vents and they are not blocked or covered.
Look for any electrical or communication wiring and check its condition and installation is adequate.
Walls – The general condition of exterior walls will give an idea of the maintenance and repair work carried out over the years prior to sale. If the paint is shiny and new, you may suspect that the house has been dressed up for sale, often without the due diligence, that would be taken if the owner were keeping the house. So beware a pretty face. Check for bubbles or loose paint under the new coat.
Check walls for any cracks or holes that would allow vermin (bees, wasps, rats or mice, etc) to enter and nest.
Brick walls should be checked for cracks (at the corners of window and door openings are a common place), damage to mortar, and signs of moisture, either rising from the ground or from the ceiling line.
Timber weather board cladding should be checked for rot in the lower boards, a key or small screwdriver pressed against the bottom boards at regular intervals will alert you to soft rotted areas under the paintwork. While checking walls make sure any sub floor or wall vents are clear and not covered up.
Asbestos sheet clad walls will have to be removed and disposed of by licensed contractors, this is expensive. So get a trade’s person to quote.
New paintwork or rendering can hide potential problems. The only safe guard against being fooled is to thoroughly inspect and ask questions. If in doubt get an appropriately trained trade’s person’s opinion.
Check walls for any cracks or holes that would allow vermin (bees, wasps, rats or mice, etc) to enter and nest.
Brick walls should be checked for cracks (at the corners of window and door openings are a common place), damage to mortar, and signs of moisture, either rising from the ground or from the ceiling line.
Timber weather board cladding should be checked for rot in the lower boards, a key or small screwdriver pressed against the bottom boards at regular intervals will alert you to soft rotted areas under the paintwork. While checking walls make sure any sub floor or wall vents are clear and not covered up.
Asbestos sheet clad walls will have to be removed and disposed of by licensed contractors, this is expensive. So get a trade’s person to quote.
New paintwork or rendering can hide potential problems. The only safe guard against being fooled is to thoroughly inspect and ask questions. If in doubt get an appropriately trained trade’s person’s opinion.
Windows and Doorways - Check all timber windows and door surrounds for rot, press a key or similar against the timber at joins to check for soft spots. Check for broken or cracked glazing. If door or window frames are out of square then there is a sub floor problem, if they are hard to open check door and frame square.
Insect screens to windows and doors, check if each opening has them and what condition there in.
Eaves and Guttering - Check eaves for gaps or damage that may allow birds or vermin to enter roof cavity, check fascia boards for rot, commonly found at corners and where rafters meet fascia.
Spouting/guttering should be checked for rust or repairs if it looks old or damaged. All down pipes should be in place and in good order and preferably connected to a storm water system to take water away from the building.
Roofing - Tiled roofs should be checked for broken and cracked tiles, rust or damage to valley flashings and broken and decaying grouting at hips and valleys and all flashings. Sheet roofing needs to be inspected for loose sheets, rust and damage to sheets and flashings. Check all flashings at chimneys and where roofs meet walls.
Site – Aspect for winter sun is becoming more important with energy use consideration in the forefront of people minds these days. Walk over the entire block, check for signs of recent tree removal, new filled areas, trees that may be a danger to neighbor’s or this sites assets. Evaluate all fences for condition and security.
Access, for building supply company vehicles or excavation machinery (concrete trucks are very heavy and can damage pavements), as well as safe and secure storage of materials, should all be considered.
Neighbors - Keep in mind neighbor’s possible objections to renovation noise, dust, chemicals and machinery use. Talk to them when you have made some decisions about the renovations required and before you commit to the property. Decide if they can be dealt with amicably, and if not, if it’s worth the hassles
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Remember there is always another house. Take into consideration all the pros and cons and make your decisions on a purely financial basis. If you know as much as is possible, about a properties present condition, you will be able to predict, “approximately” the amount of money you will need to spend making the resale of the home as profitable as you can.
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Remember there is always another house. Take into consideration all the pros and cons and make your decisions on a purely financial basis. If you know as much as is possible, about a properties present condition, you will be able to predict, “approximately” the amount of money you will need to spend making the resale of the home as profitable as you can.
There is a lot more to know, Next Article-Interior Inspections.
Jeff
Jeff
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