You have decided to buy a cottage or townhouse in a beautiful part of your country (such as Greentree Village Townhomes). What do you need to know besides the cost of the house?

Inspect your home from the outside

Even a simple exterior inspection of a house can tell you a lot about the quality of construction and materials used. If there are cracks in the facades of the house, it is likely that the soils under the house and its foundation are "walking". And you should pay attention not only to the cracks, but also to the attempts to hide them. For example, if a not-so-new house is painted before selling, it most likely means that the owner is hiding cracks in the facades.

An inspection of the roof will also reveal interesting things about the house. If there is no gutter on the roof, it means that since the house was built, all the rain water pours under its foundation, which can lead to a decrease in the bearing capacity of the soil and increase soil heaving. Not every foundation is able to withstand this.

Attention to utilities

Engineering networks - this is the element of a private house, which requires constant monitoring. On the state of "engineering" first of all depends the comfort of living. Therefore, it is better to start the tour of the premises with the boiler room and plumbing. Do not hesitate to ask the owner to go into such a delicate place, even if there are household items.

 Attic and Basement

In a dry basement, you should inspect the walls for signs of water - sweat, swollen paint, mold, and damp stains. Most likely, in preparing the house for sale, the owner will try to remove traces of moisture. Eliminating signs of flooding is possible. And only an experienced eye can see the brush marks with which mold and peeling paint were scrubbed off. If the basement shows signs of water seepage, it means that it may be flooded during the rains. 

 Examination of rooms and other rooms

When examining the living space of the house, it is advisable to use a tape measure and a level. It is ideal to measure all the rooms and compare to the parameters stated by the seller. Sometimes the difference is significant. There was a case where a 12-meter (according to the ad) kitchen turned out to be only 6 meters. The height of the ceilings should also be checked. All detected deviations from the declared parameters can be used as a reason to bargain.