Real Estate Word -- What to Look For During a Final Home Inspection February 2006 Dennis & Arleen Galandy Sales Representatives ----------------------- 100 - 32555 Simon Avenue Abbotsford, BC 604-855-0800 (office) 1-866-350-0461 (toll free) www.GalandyGroup.com Greetings! This month we’re discussing what to look for when doing a walk through of your potential new home. Buying a home is such an exciting time that often you may overlook the little things. In time, these could turn into much larger problems. Avoid potential trouble by having a checklist and make sure you don’t forget anything important. Also included in this issue is information on how to jump start your car in an emergency situation - very useful to know! Finally, if you have some jobs to tackle around the house, a well stocked toolbox can be your best friend. Let me know if you have any comments regarding these articles or if you have any general questions about the real estate market. Have a great month! In This Issue... What to Look For When Doing Your New Home Walk Through How to Jump Start Your Car In an Emergency Stock Your Tool Box with the Essentials What to Look For When Doing Your New Home Walk Through When walking through the home you’re thinking of buying for the first time, whether it’s brand new or used, here are a few things to check for before signing papers. You might want to get some information on industry standards before you walk through and inspect your potential home. This information can be quite useful should a dispute between buyer and seller arise. Drywall - Make sure you check this well. Look for uneven bumps and texture; tape joints should not be visible. Look for marks made by door knobs and baseboard installation. Paint - When checking the paint, look for uneven shades and chips caused during construction. Make sure your baseboard does not have wall paint on it as well as wood handrails, kitchen counter tops, tubs, cabinets…etc. Look for any stains in the paint, especially on ceilings – this can be an indication of water damage. Baseboard - Baseboard is located at the bottom on the walls and surface of the floors. Check for damage such as scrapes or cuts in the baseboard that’s often caused during carpet installation. Make sure it’s painted accurately and that all nails have been puttied so they’re not visible. Also make sure caulking is applied between the wall and the baseboard so no gaps appear. Caulking should also have been applied in corners where two pieces of baseboard meet. Light Fixture Locations - This is more common than one may realize and unfortunately is not caught on many walk-throughs. Wherever there is a light fixture, check to make sure cabinets and doors do not hit it when opening. Check to make sure all light fixtures are in the correct location and height. Carpet - When checking your carpet look for stains that may indicate flooding may have occurred. Check for stains caused by excessive amounts of traffic. Make sure the carpet is all going in the right direction and that there are no gaps between baseboard and carpet. You may also want to check closets to make sure the carpet was completely installed and that no corners were cut. Roof Tiles - Check for broken, missing or discolored tiles. This too is a commonly overlooked area. While your home inspector may tell you about the longevity of the roof, they may not point out this type of information – be sure to ask! Windows - Make sure they are sealed well. Check for cracks and moisture between panels and by sliders, all windows should be tempered. Also make sure if tempered glass was ordered that all the temper matches. Look for any stains on the window sills. This may be an indication that the windows were not sealed correctly and, in cold weather, the windows may "sweat" on the inside. Doors - All doors should be painted on all sides and there should be no obvious drips. Open and close doors to check for correct adjustment and alignment. Make sure all door knobs and locks are working correctly. Tile - Check for uneven, loose, chipped or cracked tiles especially in corners where it can easily be disguised. Make sure grout is to your liking or within industry standards. Also check for cracks in the grout, which may be an indication that the tile was not laid properly, or that the floor is uneven. Granite - If it’s a new home, make sure to pick out the granite yourself. When checking granite, new or used, check for cracks or chips. Look at the tile in good lighting for faded shiny spots. Check also for areas where the granite was pieced together, and make sure the seams are to your liking. Tubs - Look for cracks and make sure it’s sealed correctly. If it’s a jet tub, fill it up with water and make sure it works properly. Look for mold along the top edge of the tub or shower. This may be an indication of poor cleaning habits or of poor ventilation. Appliances - Examine the appliances and make sure they work. The same thing goes for the gas, electricity, plumbing, garbage disposal and water. With the water, run 2-3 different faucets at a time and see if the pipes make any noise. Warranty - Try to get complete information regarding warranty information on appliances and the house itself. We suggest you bring a walk-through list with you when you walk through the home. This way you won’t forget any of these important items and this will let your sales agent know that you’re not only educated, but serious about the quality of your home. As we mentioned earlier, try to get information on industry standards should you need to dispute any issues that arise. Remember, these tips are very important because once you sign your papers you can only dispute items covered under your home or appliance warranty. How to Jump Start Your Car In an Emergency Knowing how to correctly boost your car battery is something everyone should know how to do; however, it’s something that needs to be done properly. Jumper cables or cables on a portable battery booster should be connected properly to avoid sparks, which can cause an explosion of the hydrogen gas emitting from a battery. Beyond this, an incorrect hook up can damage critical and expensive electronic components. The procedure is simple: Step 1: Make sure the car you are about to get a jump from is close enough for the jumper cables to safely reach both batteries without the cars touching each other. Step 2: Turn off all accessories on both cars. This means headlights, radios, flashers or any other items running from the battery. Step 3: Set the emergency brakes in both cars. Step 4: If possible, place a damp cloth over each battery. Step 5: Place one red clamp of the booster cables on the positive post of the dead battery. Remember this post will be marked "plus" (+) for positive. Step 6: Place the red clamp on other end of the cable on the "plus" (+) post of the good battery. Step 7: Connect one of the black clamps of the booster cables on the "negative" (-) post of the good battery. Step 8: Connect the remaining black clamp to the engine or some metallic surface of the stalled car. This is the "ground". It is important that the clamp be as far away from the battery as possible and none of the cables are in the way of any moving engine parts. Step 9: Start the engine of the car from which you are getting a boost. Rev the engine slightly for a few seconds. Step 10: Start your engine and remove all of the booster cable clamps. Remove them in the reverse order they were applied. Start by removing the black negative clamp on the engine of your car, then remove the black negative clamp from the booster car. After that remove the red clamp from the booster car and then lastly remove the red clamp from your car. Let’s hope you’re not caught needing a boost anytime soon but should it happen to you (or anyone else for that matter), at least you’ll have the confidence to do it properly so that you can get back on the road again. Stock Your Tool Box with the Essentials If you’re like most homeowners it always seems there’s a job to do around the house. Often a reason for stalling is as simple as not having the right tools on hand. So, this year why not head off to your local hardware store and make sure your toolbox is ready for those jobs! The following are some of the essential tools recommended to get you through the most basic home repair projects: * three types of pliers: ordinary, needle-nose & wire cutters * a level for hanging pictures, curtain rods & shelves * a stud finder (helps locate structural boards for hanging mirrors or pictures) * a set of Allen wrenches (used to tighten bolts that have six-sided holes on top) * a bottle of carpenter’s glue and rolls of electrical, masking and duct tape * a small handsaw that fits into a sheath for safety * a 25 foot retractable tape measure * a 16-ounce claw hammer * an adjustable screwdriver * an adjustable wrench * a utility knife with a retractable blade * an assortment of screws and nails * a cordless drill * a chisel Having to deal with home repairs can be frustrating enough without having to worry whether or not you have the right tools for the job. A well stocked tool box will help you tackle your basic around the home jobs with confidence. P.S. Are you sick of scouring the paper and MLS sites looking for homes? Tired of playing telephone tag with agents only to hear the home's already sold? Sit back, relax and let me do the work for you! Just visit my website and check off the features you're looking for. Whenever a home matching your criteria hits the market, it'll be automatically flagged and emailed to you so you'll never have to worry about missing your dream home. This service is free and there's no obligation! Click here to get started. Created by RealEstateWord.com