Would you make a $100,000 investment without carefully considering how secure your money is over time? Especially when this investment is the biggest one you will make in your lifetime. It certainly would not be recommended to simply close your eyes and throw a large sum of money at the stock market, and similarly with real estate it is good to check things thoroughly beforehand.

When buying a house the things most people look for are a reasonable price tag, a nice neighbourhood, and some amenities. However, a more detailed check will ensure you get the best value for your money, and avoid houses which are costly to maintain. While it is possible to seek a professional opinion on a particular house, some of the more common problems can be noticed by a visual check even with an untrained eye.

FOUNDATION CHECK
Start by checking the foundation. Walk all the way around and look for cracks or crumbling concrete. These are not good signs, and if visible, it’s probably not worthwhile to bother checking much else. Even a house built to the highest standards will have little resale value if the foundation it sits on is in a state of disrepair. An older foundation is not necessarily worse since concrete continues to cure, or gain strength, over its lifetime. The quality of a foundation is built in at the very beginning, and it depends on the concrete mix used, workmanship, and environmental conditions at the time. So it is quite possible to find an old but good quality foundation, or a new but inferior quality one.

INTERIOR INSPECTION
When inspecting the interior of a house the main thing to look for is moisture . Does the interior of the foundation wall “sweat”? Are there black spots visible in corners, around windows, or at the perimeter of ceilings? These are signs of a condensation problem from a poorly ventilated house. Moisture in building materials is probably the singularly most destructive force over an extended period of time. Unfortunately, in some locations the maximum allowable moisture content of lumber is not strictly enforced, although local building codes usually set the required maximum percentage of moisture by weight. If the moisture content is higher permitted by code, the lumber causes many problems in new houses as the wood deforms and shrinks as it dries out. These problems present themselves with noticeable deformities or imperfections in the finish materials, such as paint, tile, plaster and gyprock.

ATTIC CHECK
A ladder and flashlight will come in handy to check the attic. As well as finding out how much insulation there is in the portion of the house where 50 per cent of the heat is lost, you can see where the shingles may have failed. Don’t look just for water, but water stains on the roof sheathing from previous leaks. A nice dry attic is a good sign. The attic temperature should be about the same as the outdoors to indicate satisfactory ventilation. Remember problems which develop in the roof area affect everything below it as water migrates through the building.

MAINTENANCE CHECK
To check the maintenance skills of any previous owner, try everything in the house that moves. Do all the windows and doors operate easily? What about the fixtures and hardware? Is everything in good working order? If the house has a fireplace or wood stove, ask for a copy of a recent inspection report from the fire department verifying the installation meets the fire code for proper clearances, surrounding protective materials and chimney height.

LAST LOOK
Finally, if your mind is almost made up to purchase a certain house, and you are dealing with a real estate agent, take one last look around without the agent present before making the formal offer. It’s much easier to adequately check things without others present. Should you feel an expert opinion would be useful, have the house checked by an architect with experience in residential construction. This will insure that your investment in a property is worthwhile, and give you long term satisfaction with your purchase.

CONCRETE
Concrete is a combination of cement, sand, coarse aggregate and water. These elements are mixed in proportion to the strength required to support loads Imposed from the building structure. The strength of concrete Is not achieved automatically or by accident. Concrete must be carefully mixed, transported to the site by the supplier, placed In accordance with good practice and then properly cured. Water should not be added on site to make the placement easier. This will decrease strength, increase permeability and reduce its resistance to the freeze-thaw cycle. Curing involves controlling the temperature and moisture for several days so the chemical reaction will result in maximum strength. Rapid drying results in cracking as the concrete shrinks. Forms should not be stripped for a minimum of two days. Air entrainment is also recommended to provide greater resistance against frost action.