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There is no denying the excitement that comes with buying a home, but there is undoubtedly a lot of stress also. Not only do you need to find a property that you fall in love with, but you need to ensure it’s a worthwhile investment. Otherwise, you may be faced with expensive repairs and trouble selling it further down the line. This is why looking out for defects is hugely important. Though a lot of homes on the market are defect free and ready to buy, there are others that boast faults and imperfections. You don’t need to worry too much about small and easy to solve problems, but more serious defects can prove costly.

Buying a Home? Avoid These Common Home Defects

When you are buying a home, you need to look out for defects. Though a property may appear to be in perfect order at first glance, this isn’t always the case and common defects may be hiding. To avoid stress and costly repairs, make sure you look out for common defects, such as damp or faulty electrics. Both of these problems are easily hidden, so you won’t see them from simply viewing a home, as well as being expensive and time consuming to fix.

A lot of people make the mistake of assuming neighbours aren’t a major thing to consider when buying a home, but this isn’t the case at all. Though you may not be planning to become best friends with your neighbours, noisy neighbours can have a hugely negative impact on your day to day life. This can be disruptive – especially if you work from home or have young children – and stressful.

The key defects to look out for are damp, faulty guttering, rotten window frames, plumbing issues – this could be indicated by a weak toilet flush or low power pressure – and missing roof tiles. Defects such as these can be expensive to fix and may significantly impact your budget after buying the property.

It’s also a good idea to find out about flooding; is the property in a flood zone and has it been affected by flooding in the past? Building insurance for a previously flooded home is considerably more expensive than you may be expecting and without insurance, you won’t get a mortgage. To find out more about what to look out for when buying a home, contact our Professional Consultants Certificate team.