“Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty.” – – Louis D. Brandeis
jennifer
Under Pressure
You’re having a shower and somebody flushes the toilet. Suddenly, you don’t have water at the shower any more. Or maybe you run out of cold water when the toilet flushes and get scalded. Sometimes you run out of hot water in this scenario. In any case, none of these options makes you happy. Chances are, you have a water supply problem.
The water supply may be less than ideal for a number of reasons. These reasons may apply to the service piping that brings the water from the city main to the house (or from the well, lake, or river to the house) and to the distribution piping within the house. Let’s look at some of the causes.
Should you buy a house that was a flip?
These days, a large portion of single-family homes are being flipped, that is, the homes are bought, renovated, and resold quickly. In recent years, it has become harder for flippers to finance these investment properties, and properties are often bought with cash or hard money loans. However, many markets are in need of housing inventory and so those that can amass the funds to flip a property can make money in the process.
Prospective homebuyers should always have an eye out unprofessional looking renovation work and defect cover-ups. However, when the entire property has been flipped, it may be harder to tell where the investor cut corners while prepping the home for sale. “A lot of these guys who buy these homes to remodel and flip them do a good job,” said Bill Jacques, president of the American Society of Home Inspectors. But, “there’s always going to be the person to put lipstick on a pig and sell it. They try to honey up these houses and paint them, put some new light fixtures in and make people think they’re in new and good shape.”
Controlling Electricity
Electricity has only been in the majority of homes since the late 1920’s. In the less than 100 years since mass adoption, the ability to control electricity has revolutionized the way we live. Despite being something people use daily; most people don’t have even a basic understanding of electricity.
How to Evaluate a House Before Making an Offer
Keep in Mind: You are Looking at a Building, Not a Home
This is by far the most difficult thing for prospective buyers. After months or weeks of searching, buyers finally find “the one”, and instead of remaining objective, they mentally move in. Don’t get attached too early or your heart might overrule your head and cause you to overlook major problems. The house is simply a building that needs inspecting. If you do find faults, it doesn’t mean you should put off buying. Rather try and use what you’ve discovered to negotiate the price or request a repair. Once you buy it, it belongs to you. Problems and all.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our Approach to Home Inspection
We touched on the “why we went into business” a little bit in our introduction blog. We felt the nomadic lifestyle we were living wasn’t the best choice for our family. As we began planning for a career move, we did some soul searching in an attempt to find the best fit for us.
Brantley and Jennifer own Parkwood Property Inspections, LLC. We provide home inspection services for the triad area of North Carolina and surrounds.