A renovated Historic Home in Avondale or Riverside sounds like a great idea. New look hardwood floors, new kitchen, new roof, maybe some new details to the bathroom, new outdoor backyard.......read this article about what to look for when a home has been renovated:
Home buyers always need to have an eye out for shoddy renovation work and defect coverups before purchasing a home. But when it’s a “flipped” home they’re considering, it’s wise to be even more careful, making sure the investor did not cut corners while prepping the home for sale.
These days, a greater number of single-family homes are being flipped, or bought and resold within six months. In the first half of the year, flips were up 19% from a year ago and up 74% from the first half of 2011, according to data from RealtyTrac, a foreclosure listings and housing data website.
Current flipping activity is at its highest since RealtyTrac began tracking it in 2007. But unlike a decade ago, today’s flippers don't have easy access to financing, and many have to purchase properties with cash or hard money loans.
“A lot of these guys who buy these homes to remodel and flip them do a good job,” said Bill Jacques, president of the American Society of Home Inspectors, as well as a home inspector in Charleston, S.C. But, “there’s always going to be the person to put lipstick on a pig and sell it. They try to honey up these houses and paint them, put some new light fixtures in and make people think they’re in new and good shape.”
How do you make sure you don’t buy a home that has been renovated cosmetically, with serious underlying issues beneath the fresh paint? Below are some tips.
Find out who did the work
Make sure the person or company who did the renovations has been in the business for a while and has a good reputation, said David Hicks, co-president of HomeVestors of America, a company that trains and supports franchises specializing in buying and rehabbing residential properties. HomeVestors advertises using the phrase “We Buy Ugly Houses.”
“It’s just like anything. If you’re buying from a builder, you would check out the builder,” he said.
But the real-estate listing may not name the flipper, so you might have to go to the county assessor’s office to find out who had the last deed on the house, LeMier said. Once you have that, you can start researching to see if it’s a reputable business.
You’ll probably also want to steer clear of novices.
“Larger investment groups doing rehab work…they will spend the money to do it correctly. Smaller investors are on a tight budget, and when they find a problem some of them will do everything they can do to spend as little as necessary,” LeMier said.
Hire a home inspector
An experienced home inspector will be able to spot some of the common shortcuts that flippers tend to take when revamping a home on the cheap. Many of the homes that are being flipped are in some state of disrepair or have a substantial amount of deferred maintenance.
For example, novices will sometimes put new shingles on the roof, but won’t repair the roof decking, Jacques said. They'll sometimes paint and caulk wood trim instead of replacing it. He has even seen old heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems painted to look like they’re newer.
Keep in mind, a home inspector won’t find all problems. They can’t see through walls to look for damaged studs or improper wiring, Jacques said. And while they do test out the home’s systems, an inspector is only in the place for two or three hours and may not see a problem that could become evident to a homeowner who lives there every day.
But they’ll often have a better eye than the average home buyer.
Look for structural problems
Repairing a home’s foundation can cost thousands of dollars, so if you suspect issues, you may consider hiring a structural engineer for a second look. Tip offs include cracking in the exterior brick or evidence of recent tuckpointing near the problem area, LeMier said.
Unlevel floors or shoddy finish work inside the home might suggest other structural problems were covered up, LeMier said. This leads to the next subject of permits....
Check the permits
If you suspect major structural work was done on the home, go to the local building department and make sure that permits were pulled and closed out properly, with inspections done at completion.
If bathrooms or kitchens were rearranged or moved, you'll be able to tell from the paperwork what plumbers and electricians were used for the job, and then can check whether they are licensed professionals. If interior walls were removed, work should have been under the guidance of a structural engineer, LeMier said.
Of course, it might not be obvious that major work was done, and that’s why it pays to look at other houses in the neighborhood, LeMier said.
“Most houses are built in tracts, unless it’s a custom home,” he said. If something is radically different than other homes nearby, significant work was likely done.
Also consider the age of the home. For instance, if it was built before the mid-1980s, the home probably wasn't constructed with an open-floor concept, LeMier said. That means walls were likely removed if the house now has a more contemporary looking great room, where the kitchen, dining room and living room flow into each other.
So really, when you are buying a house that looks like it is newer in the Historic District, if not new in the view of the city as in new construction, or even with new construction too (because contractors can take shortcuts), make sure you look to do the following things:
Find out who did the work
Hire a home inspector
Look for structural problems
Check for permits
Do your due diligence, if a home is too good to be true, it may well be, so be prepared to walk away from the purchase. There are other homes in the neighborhood for sale, for sure!
#LizBobeck
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