Look for a Home with Good Bones

Written by: Chris Bibey

When searching for a home you need to think about what is most important. Many people get caught up in the way the home appears on the inside. Believe it or not, some people won’t buy a home if the paint colors don’t match their tastes. Instead of dealing with minor details you should get involved with those that are more important – such as the “bones” of the home. If you buy a home with a good structure you should be happy with your decision in the long run.

Here are five details that make up the bones of your home:

1. Exterior structure and condition. Is the roof in good shape? How about the siding or brick? It is usually pretty easy to see how well the exterior of a home has held up by simply looking at it. Of course, you can have an inspector take a closer look to ensure that you are not overlooking anything.

2. Interior walls. You don’t want to see any cracks on the interior walls. Instead, drywall that is in good condition is what you are looking for. There are bound to be marks and dents that you can eventually fix – you just want to make sure that there is nothing too serious going on.

3. Plumbing. This is something that you cannot afford to overlook. An old, run down plumbing system can cost you a lot of money if you are not careful of what you are doing. If you are not a professional plumber you should definitely hire an inspector to look over all these details before you buy the home.

4. Electrical. Older homes are well known for having electrical problems. Even though this can all be changed out, it does come at a price. Make sure you have the electrical system checked over in great detail. If any problems are found it is important to determine a solution, as well as a cost.

5. Solid floors are important. Do you bounce when you walk on the floors? Are there a lot of creeks with every step you take? It is important that every floor in the home is solid. This is subjective in many ways. While a floor that creeks may be annoying, this does not necessarily mean that there is something wrong with the structure.

If you buy a home with good bones everything else will begin to fall into place. When searching for a property, consider inspecting the five details above very closely.

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