There’s nothing wrong with wanting to keep your secrets. But, if you’re in the market for a new house, your potential home shouldn’t.
This means that before you sign a contract or hand over a down payment, you should try to find out everything you can about your prospective home. Did the basement once flood, and is it now harboring mold problems? Is the roof just a few thunderstorms away from a major leak? Will you have rodents for roommates? The house knows – and you need to know, too.
Sure, home inspectors are there to protect you from buying a home with issues, but what if they miss something? And sure, some states have laws that obligate home sellers to disclose certain problems, but what if the house has defects the sellers aren’t legally obliged to report?
If you’re worried that you might purchase a home with issues, try these home interrogation strategies.
Talk to the Seller
No, it’s not likely that a seller will come right out and say, “Oh, yeah, I’d never buy this place due to the drafts.” And a lot of the time the home seller isn’t even around to show you the home – your real estate agent usually takes their place. But if the chance ever presents itself, talk about the house and look for clues in their language about the condition of the home.
“Don’t ask the sellers questions about the condition of the home as they are less likely to be fully forthcoming,” advises Rick Davis, a real estate attorney in Leawood, Kansas. “Instead, ask them questions that might lead to information but seems more innocuous. For example, ask why they want to move. You can also ask what it was like living in the home.”
Although the home seller probably won’t tell you about the drafts or the mold problem, maybe they’ll slip and talk about their allergies. You never know what you’ll find out until you ask.
Talk to the Neighbors
Try gathering your intel from the people who live near the house you want to buy.
“Since you may be the new neighbor, they don’t want to start the relationship off by lying to you,” says Davis. “Even if they don’t directly tell you the issues, they may hint or give warnings about what to look at.”
And these potential neighbors may know a lot, even if they’ve never met the homeowner, adds Davis.
“They might be able to tell you that they see repair trucks in the driveway on a regular basis or if there was a major issue last year where workers were at the home for days,” he says.
Morgan Franklin, a real estate agent in Lexington, Kentucky, agrees, saying that many people will share if probed.
“My secret weapon is to knock on the neighbor’s door,” he says. “If they tore up the yard last year to replace a sewer line, they will tell you. In my experience, the neighbors can’t wait to tell you everything they know about the house. From the condition of the house to the Jerry Springer-esque episode that occurred there, they will blab.”
Get a C.L.U.E.
All detectives need clues, and in this case, you might be able to get one – a C.L.U.E. report, that is. C.L.U.E. stands for Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange. This report may list any homeowner’s insurance claims on the home from the last five years. If there was fire or water damage, for instance, or maybe a theft in the home, it may be on the report.
The information might not be there, however, because not every insurance company offers up information to C.L.U.E.
Here’s an added complication: your home seller is the only person who can request a copy (from the database company LexisNexis). So, if you’re interested in seeing the report, ask your real estate agent to ask the seller to provide one. With any luck, there will be nothing on the report to worry you.
Inspect the Home Yourself
This sounds obvious, maybe too obvious to even mention, and yet plenty of home buyers probably don’t think about it. After all, when the real estate agent is showing you a house, you’re imagining where you’ll position your bed and set up your workstation. You’re wondering about closet space and what it’ll be like to cook in the kitchen. Many homeowners aren’t thinking about possible cracks in the foundation, potential leaks in the roof or what the insulation is like.
But after you fall in love with a house and decide to make an offer, that’s what you should be doing–looking for reasons not to buy the home.
“The most relevant tactic [for finding possible problems] is to simply look for obvious flaws–cracks, water, malodors–as these signs can provide a window [into the] condition,” says Michael Kelczewski, a real estate agent with Brandywine Fine Properties Sotheby’s International Realty, headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware.
Talk to Your Home Inspector
If you decide to make an offer, and the seller accepts, it’s time to set up a home inspection. When the home inspector goes through the home, follow them (although you’ll probably want to skip the climb up to the roof) and ask a lot of questions. You’ll learn more about your home and your questions may lead to a more thorough inspection.
Don’t forget to also ask questions after you receive the report, says Franklin.
“A home inspector will do their job, but your home is probably the third one they have done that day, and they just want to get home to their family,” says Franklin. “Look over the report carefully and ask questions. If you aren’t happy with the answer, make them go back and clarify.”
Focus on Additions to the Home
Did the home seller boast about a new room they added on? Or a deck they built? It may be worth bragging about, but Davis points out that’s where a lot of home headaches often start, especially if the seller is a do-it-yourselfer, or if they hired an unlicensed contractor who didn’t build to code.
“Ask the seller for copies of the permits,” suggests Davis.
Of course, the seller may not have them, especially if the home improvements were done some time ago, but the town may have a record of the building permits. In any case, Davis recommends that you make sure your home inspector looks closely at any additions or major improvements to the home.
Call a Second Home Inspector or a Specialist
If you’re really concerned (and especially if this is an older home), there’s no reason you can’t hire another home inspector to see whether their recommendations are similar to the first.
You can also bring in a specialist, like an electrician or engineer, if you have a particular concern, suggests Kelczewski.
You can even hire a mold inspection company, but that can be expensive. On average, a mold inspection costs between $299 to $1,015, but if you’re this worried about the house, you may want to consider buying it.
Look for Potential Future Problems
If you’re starting to feel good about what you aren’t finding, you may want to look into potential problems outside the home.
For instance, if you have children, you probably checked to make sure the house is in a good school district, but did you do any research on your neighborhood’s crime rate? There are quite a few websites that will give you a sense of what your prospective neighborhood is like, such as CityProtect.com.
You’ll also want to check if your home is in a flood zone. You can check any address in the country on FEMA’s website to determine whether it’s in a flood zone. If it is, you’ll want to consider purchasing flood insurance, which is generally not a part of a standard homeowners policy.
What’s Next?
So, what should you do if you do find something wrong with the house during your fact-finding phase? If it’s an issue that doesn’t seem fixable, is too expensive to repair or is too risky to deal with, like a rotting foundation or roof, it might be the time to look for another house to fall in love with.
But if the home’s issues aren’t insurmountable, and if you’re still interested, this would be the time for your real estate agent to bring your concerns to the seller, says Mindy Jensen, a community manager with BiggerPockets.com, a social media site for real estate investors.
She suggests getting a quote for the repair and asking the seller to either take care of it using a company you choose, or give you a credit or cash at closing so you can handle it yourself.
Jensen adds: “I don’t recommend asking the seller to have it fixed without specifying a company to do the work. The seller will most likely choose the lowest bid, which is not necessarily the best person to perform the work.”
Of course, with any luck, you’ll look at every nook and cranny of the house without turning up anything worrisome at all. That’s the strange dynamic of home buying. The more boring your home’s past, the better the odds are that you and your house will have an exciting future.
Have you uncovered a hidden secret in a potential home? Share your story in the comments to help others know what to look for.
Some great suggestions here, but I thought it odd that checking the crime and flood maps were among the last suggestions. These are the first things I check. If either looks iffy or just plain bad, that neighborhood or area is off the list. No need to get down into the weeds.
Great information!!!! I am keeping this email in case some day I buy another home. Thank you.
You’re welcome, Renee! That’s great to hear!
I purchase my house in 2017, in 2021 the water line in the front yard burst. The driveway is peeling. I contact the developer, they told me that on the water line, you have a four year warranty base on the law the that the California Lawmaker made call Construction Defect. California civil Code 895, 896. SB 800.On the driveway they try to say it was he soil and they are not responsible for the concrete. The house is only 4 years and 3 months. At least 10 other resident had the same problem with the water line burst in the front yard. Any subjections
Thank you for all of the great tips on home buying.
I’m in the process of buying me a new home I would like to no more of what to look for.
Check the slope of the Land so water will drain away from the house. Does it have Long down spout extensions leading water far enough from the house. Does it have eavetroughs in good shape?
Is wood door and window sills and frame soft to indicate wood rot and well sealed to the wall and solid. Are they painted over soft partly rotted wood or are they hard and solid?
Check for small holes in the foundation that are not sealed-Especially cement porchs or sidewalks, doors and windows attached to the foundation. Water gets in the smallest cracks and holes. Bats and mice can collapse their body. Is the location near wild life and bee areas. Check the gap between doors and their frames to see if it is even. Uneven gaps mean the foundation has shifted. Check frame corners for being 90 degrees with a square-this will also tell you if foundation has shifted or door was not hung properly. Door may have been planed or cut to correct binding. Also put a level on walls to check they are up and down level. Open a door halfway to see if it stays there or shuts or opens- this will tell you if wall and door frame is level up and down Does windows and doors have good seals to prevent wind and water from entering. Are windows single glass or thermopane. are the thermopanes getting moisture between the glasses which means the seal is broken and vacuum has leaked out.
Cracks in wall or ceiling mean shifting foundation. Is soil around house loose and sandy for good drainage or hard clay and sloped towards or away from house.
Check that everything works-Irrigation systems, door locks and all doors latch good and solid, Window locks, sump pumps, freezers, fridges, and all appliances throughout the house. Open and close water taps to make sure they work good and do not leak or drip.
Check under kitchen and bathroom sinks for leaks from drains and supply lines. If you have a basement check ceilings and attic roof for signs of water leaks. Check wiring to see if it is new copper NMD7 or old knob insulators and single wire or aluminium wiring. Both are not to code. Check the wall electrical outlets are tight when you plug in an appliance.
If the home is in a Flood Zone or has flood insurance, check to see if any claims have been made. These stay on the National Flood Insurance Register for ever it seems. On our home, a claim was made in 1997 by a previous owner and still shows up on documents.
I think all Home Inspectors should be licensed. I recently went through this process and the inspector was a idiot. Not doing the consumer any good if they are still buying an unknown.
They are all idiots! My only suggestion is to have a very observant carpenter. If they don’t come with ladder to inspect roof (at least binoculars), a 6 foot level, highbeam lights to check out attic. And crawlspace if there is one…send them home!
The particular property we purchased was part of a lake addition. They had covenants that contained extra rules that pertained to issues that past residents had committed to circumvent the added expense of living in that location.
The one we had to navigate was that the first building erected had to be one containing a toilet.
This presented a problem for us because of having a horse and dog, which we’re allowed, but no shelter could be provided for them except the allowed 3 kennel run. We enclosed the three kennel compartments and made shelter for them, which infuriated the neighbors.
We moved quickly into purchasing a manufactured home due to these restrictions and also to be able to get in a home quickly.
We purchased our home from the state south of our location and service has been an issue in our first year of ownership. A lot of factory quality control and the service being supplied from a state away has been a total disappointment with the new house.
I would love to have a copy of this article.I will be leaving my current residence soon and moving to my new home.This article would be quite valuable to me when assessing any potential home!
Thank you,
Glenn
Glenn – Glad to hear it will be useful. You should see a printer icon near the top of the article and you are welcome to print yourself a copy. Good luck with the move!
This article should identify the top 10 majors of buying a older home and building a new home. for instance:
Ex. Older Home: Electrical breaker boxes in closets of enclosed spaces is out of current code.
Ex. Newer Home: What type of soil and slab preparation i.e. (post tension) or (slab on grade) and is the concrete strength tested.
Yes, I am a CMT construction inspector and a homeowner who have been on both sides of the fence.
I had a home inspector that hadn’t caught there was no cold water in the upstairs shower. Asking friends (3) about the repair indicated ripping out walls to get to the plumbing & other extreme suggestions. So I used this walk-in shower as a storage closet for 7 yrs till I was moving. Had a professional plumber come & $35. later in 15 minutes–all fixed. FL area.
Lesson learned. Also needed a new element in a Jenn Air glass top, down draft ranch. Repair man ordered the non-returnable part $400. Then noticed the glass top was glued down (unnecessarily) It couldn’t be removed, only replaced $700. That would have been nice if known before ordering the part. This was in NC–not top notch craftmanship available.
Condominium Purchases.
Include a request for information on:
Condition odd the Piping for fresh water, draineage lines, and scheduled re-fitting, when the property is in a Condominium Bluilding.
Up-to-Code electrical breakers and box.
Roof replacement schedule and cost.
Out of unit requirements for repairs and maintenance of
Common Ownership Building Areas.