Newcastle Australia Zine Issue 3 (Photo credit: Trevor Dickinson) |
Most common repairs made to a house prior to it being sold
include roof repairs, plumbing systems, and heating and cooling systems. These
repairs often bring good return on investment, as they attract more home
buyers, and the receipts are often included in the recent home repairs.
If you are a home buyer, a home inspection should be a
critical step in the home purchase. Beware of structural damage coming from
water damage, poor construction. Home inspectors will meticulously inspect
every little thing they find, and the list can be quite long. Don’t be deterred
if they find a large number of things. It’s just their job to spot every tiny
flaw, and most of them can be fixed quite easily.
Once it passes inspection, buying a homeowners insurance
plan is a great way to have some sort of cover for large cost bills or
structural damage. It is especially important if you live in an area prone to
natural disasters or in an area where structural damage is a common occurrence.
Lastly, many issues come up once you purchase a home. Most of them are just a
part of being a home owner, and you shouldn’t sweat the small stuff like leaky
faucets and peeling wallpaper. Unless there is something serious, it is almost
always cheaper to fix it yourself than to have the real estate broker come in
to look at it and see if it is liable for the previous owners. Best of luck whether
you are buying or selling!