| |
| |
|
Real Estate Information |
|
|
Home Buying Checklist - Windows
If you are in the market to purchase a home, it can be easy to fall in love at first sight. Do so at your own risk. While the overall appearance of a home is important, the quality is in the details. In this article, I provide a checklist of window issues you should consider when viewing a home. Windows If you are considering buying a home, you should have a checklist of things to review for the property. There is an old cliché that eyes are the window to a person' soul. In the case of a home, they can be a clue to the quality of the home building if you check the following: 1. The first item to check is whether the windows open and close properly. Quality windows should slide easily and with little noise. Cheap windows tend to stick and make grinding noises. If any window will not open or close at all, careful attention needs to be paid to why. Is it the quality of the window or has the house started moving because of foundation problems? Make sure you know the cause. 2. The second item to check is soft or mushy sills at the base of the window. Often you can identify a soft sill by a "rotted" look, but make sure to run your hand across the sills with light pressure to see if there are any soft spots. If you find a problem, warning lights should be going off in your mind. A mushy sill means there is a water penetration problem. More importantly, it also means the problem has existed for some time. Long-term water problems can mean the existence of mold and mold can be an expensive problem to fix. If you are really interested in the home, demand an inspection paid for by the seller. If the seller refuses, walk away from the home. 3. Water stains are the final window item to check for during your viewing. Just because the sills are not soft, doesn't mean there isn't a leakage problem. Stains around a window frame are sure signs of water problems. If a room has been painted, try to find one that hasn't. If the entire interior has been painted, ask the seller to state in the sales agreement there were no water stains before the house was repainted. Windows are almost always an indicator of the quality of workmanship for a home. Giving them a good "once over" should tell you a lot about the house you are considering. Raynor James is with http://www.fsboamerica.org - providing homes for sale by owner, "FSBO", properties. Are you thinking, "Should I sell my home?" Visit http://www.fsboamerica.org/seller.cfm to sell your home sale for free for one month.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Apartment Financing Explained So you're interested in entering the world of property management? Have you thought about how you're going to get into this potentially lucrative market? Let's face it; unless you've just inherited a large sum of money or are otherwise independently wealthy you're going to have to borrow. This is where apartment financing comes in. Real Estate Remains A Strong Investment Opportunities to make big, quick profits in residential real estate tend to come and go in cycles. When a local market is hot, families may find it possible to buy a house at an attractive price, fix it up, and watch its value rise in just a few years. What is a Predatory Lender? Several months ago, the 3,000-member California Association of Mortgage Brokers (CAMB) created the first real definition to describe the abusive lending practices of predatory lenders. According to the CAMB, predatory lending was described as "placing consumers in loan products with significantly worse terms and/or higher costs than loans offered to similarly qualified consumers in the region for the primary purpose of enriching the originator and with little or no regard for the costs to the consumer. Buying and Selling Real Estate: Negotiating to Win-Win You don't get what you deserve - you get what you negotiate for.If you've spent some time on homekeys. Real Estate Inspection - Do Your Own Why should you do your own real estate inspection? To get a better deal. It isn't necessary to learn building codes, and you probably should use a professional inspector in any case. Buying Houses at Discount Prices Buying a house is the best way you can create immediate equity. Gaining equity through buying a house is something which is very easy to do, as long as you follow these guidelines. Searching For Maui Beachfront Houses? Who wouldn't want to move into a Maui beachfront house?From the custom architectural jobs done on many Maui homes,to the beautiful beaches and other natural attractions inMaui, you're bound to find something you will love aboutMaui beachfront houses. However, like any home buyingprocess, you'll need to make sure several things are inorder before you make your move into your new Mauibeachfront house. Dont Overpay for a House, Even in Todays Market If there's one thing American investors love, it's an over-inflated market. Which is why they keep buying houses and new ones keep coming onto the market. Cape Coral Realtor As the second largest city geographically in Florida, this beautiful southwestern attraction is located on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River. It also lies between the Gulf of Mexico and part of the Intracoastal Waterway. Tax Free Exchanges: Watch out for the New Residence Rules On October 22, 2004, President Bush signed tax legislation that contained a provision affecting Internal Revenue Code section 1031 (the like-kind tax-free exchange rules).Under this new provision a taxpayer who exchanges under Internal Revenue Code section 1031 into a rental house as a replacement property for a previous investor property and later converts it to his or her primary residence, is not allowed to exclude gain under the principal residence exclusion rules of Internal Revenue Code section 121, unless he/she sells the property at least five years from the date of its acquisition. What Does It Take To Be A Donald Trump in Real Estate? Since you are a business oriented person, you might be thinking: "oh, great, here it comes another fad that sounds to good to be true and I don't have time for this now." Well, the fact is, like gravity you do not have to believe in Feng Shui for it to work. Real Estate Investing - The Dream House Effect Several years ago I developed a philosophy in renovating houses which resulted in a finished product that I call a "Dream House" or "Doll House."How many houses on the market today look very ordinary and less than perfect? How many look "Plain Jane?" What is the difference between these "average" houses and the house on the block that is strikingly different at even the distance of a windshield view?The pronounced difference in the outstanding property offered for sale might be brilliant new lawn grass. Landlords Dance The FICO Fandango Fair Isaac Corporation is the creator of the FICOcredit score that is used today by most lenders toevaluate consumer credit risk. FICO scores rangefrom a poor credit low of 500 to a best credit ratingof 850. 7 Different Ways Anyone Can Become a Real Estate Investor Being a real estate investor is not really that hard, Sometimes you do not need any money down. Other times you do not need any of your own money down. Choosing An Estate Agent With so many estate agencies vying for your business, choosing the right agency can be difficult. We have put together the following top ten tips to help you find and use the most appropriate estate agent to sell your house. The Sadness of Old Buildings From the book No Smooshing!For years, I've carried on a not-so-friendly debate with some of my artist friends from the West Coast about their ideas of what constitutes a good subject. We seem to be able to agree on certain things, like apples and oranges-and even certain landscapes. Selling Investment Houses: Psychology of Mirrors Discover new interior Design Psychology strategies to increase your real estate profits. One technique, using mirrors as props for staging houses helps you sell your investment properties for more money, and fast. New Home Construction - The American Dream or The American Nightmare? Buying a new home is suppose to be the American Dream. Unfortunately, for many buyers of newly constructed homes it becomes the American Nightmare. Sell your Property Faster Learn how to sell your property faster and at the best possible price. Selling your property quickly and at the highest price is the target for everyone looking to move. Golf and Waterfront Living: Live, Play, Relax With today's planned lifestyle communities, golf and boating enthusiasts have an opportunity to purchase the home of their dreams just a chip shot away from the green or stone's throw from the marina. In addition to an ideal home setting, golf and waterfront community residents enjoy an active and diversified lifestyle experience complete with first-class golf courses, marinas, beaches, spas, clubhouses, recreation areas, fine dining and countless other amenities.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 TIGER MEDIA |
