Home Buying: Exterior Concerns

Home Buying: Exterior Concerns

 

Few people can afford to make a decision about buying a home on the spur of the moment.  Before we decide to spend our money, we need to make sure our dream home won’t become a cause of nightmares later on.

 

Today we will discuss the importance of the house exterior and the concerns relating to this issue.  By house exterior we don’t mean the landscape and the surrounding of the house, rather, the condition of the house’s exterior and the materials used to construct it.  Depending on the type of materials used to build a house, there are different matters which need close investigation.

 

Wood

 

Wood is the most common material used as a house’s exterior surface, and unfortunately the most non-resistant to the weather conditions and deterioration caused by different bugs, like termites.  It is crucial to inspect the wooden exterior of the house for any weather damage and wear. This type of exterior should be properly sealed against any outside conditions.

 

Stucco

 

This type of material has to be properly prepared so it doesn’t become porous and doesn’t allow moisture beneath the surface.  Homebuyers should check whether all the seams and corners are properly sealed so they don’t cause leakage.  If affected by water damage, stucco surfaces crumble and the material beneath it starts rotting.

 

Brick and Stone

 

This material is prone to cracking in the mortar, so pay particular attention to the mortar joints.

 

All these different damages are easily fixed if caught early.  Homebuyers should stay alert through the entire process of investigating the house they are interested in and ask a lot of questions to their house inspector…