In traditional real estate practices it is common for buyers to rely on other people, such as builders, agents, inspectors, and other home professionals to provide them information about the structure of the homes they are viewing. Is it well built? Are there areas of concern? What is that tubing for? We believe that professionals, such as home inspectors, play a crucial role in the home transaction process and are extremely important to consult prior to finalizing a home sale.
However, we also fundamentally believe that buyers should be empowered before even getting to the conditional offer stage. Recognizing signs of a well built home during your viewing process can give you more confidence in the property and help to determine if it will meet your long term expectations.
With help from Pat Marra, Site Manager at Castellano Custom Homes, we’ve compiled a list of key things to look for in your future home.
Inspect Stairwell Installation: Alignment, Spacing & Straightness
One of the first things you will likely notice when entering a home is the stairwell.
You should look at the alignment, spacing and straightness to determine quality of installation and materials.
Structure
During the build process (if applicable), or by looking at an unfinished basement there are some key things to look for in a home.
– Yellow beams sitting on the teleposts
– Spray foam in the brim joists
– Rating of the insulation in frost walls
Roughed in bathroom spaces may also have one of these…
Here’s why:
Overall workmanship
Pat’s philosophy is that a cleaner workspace equates to better quality of work and results in a more well built home
Things to look for in the mechanical room
Cleanliness & organization
Kitchen
Things to keep an eye out for:
Any crown molding should be finished to the top of the ceiling. Make sure all the gaps are consistent and filled with painters dab so you cannot notice any inconsistencies.
Measurements of the countertops, cabinets, and backsplash tile should be all straight lines, or follow the specific patterns. If something is off on the tile, as you get closer to an edge the spacing between the cabinet and tile will look different.
Bathrooms
The most important thing to look for in bathrooms are shut off valves for every sink and every toilet.
In the laundry underneath all washing machines there should be an emergency drain. If there’s ever a leak from the washing machine the hope is that the water will run down that drain to the floor drain in the basement – it’s plumbed from the floor all the way down to the basement.
These are important aspects of a home to look at. Pat tells us it’s more common than you think to not have these building features in a home.
You should also look at how the floors are installed in bathrooms
Millwork
Check for clean cuts and quality of work on the millwork, joints, and door casings. It should be finished so it looks like it is all one piece.
“Painting is a big part of the quality of a home as well”
