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Government Foreclosures Guide
Foreclosure occurs when a homeowner fails to make mortgage payments on his homes. A homeowner is allowed to be late on a few payments, as long as they are paid soon. They have to pay the payments along with the late charges. Foreclosure homes...
How To Sell Your Own House
With a robust real estate market, selling a house isn’t particularly difficult. Here’s a primer on how to sell your own house.
How To Sell Your Own House
First and foremost, you need to educate yourself on how real estate transactions happen....
Illinois Real Estate – Chicago And Rural Areas
Illinois can be divided into Chicago and rural areas. Alas, the same can be said for Illinois real estate prices.
Illinois
The birth home of President Lincoln, Illinois is a state with two identities. Chicago is an overwhelming presence and...
The Miami Condo Market
The Miami condo market is very diverse and offers a large number of different solutions for those interested in purchasing or renting a condo. People from all over the world are attracted to the vibrant Miami area and its supreme climate for...
The Problem with Partial Inspections!
Frequently, we get the request in our office for a "partial" inspection. This is another of those things that truly escapes my logic. While I am sure that the basis for this request is the desire to reduce the expense of the inspection, partial...
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Buying A House – Checking Exterior Wood
You need to be very careful before committing to the purchase of a house. If the house has wood and brick on the exterior, you need to consider the following issues.
Wood Issues
Wood is a beautiful material, particularly when it is used on the exterior of a home. Compared to stucco and other materials, it is a wonder wood isn’t used more often. The reason, of course, is wood simply doesn’t hold up as well as man made materials. If you are looking at a home with a heavy emphasis on exterior wood siding, trim and so on, here are some things to watch out for when evaluating the opportunity.
1. The first thing to realize is the appearance of wood has almost no relevance to the condition. A perfectly good looking piece of wood trim may be infested with termites or rotting and you will never know by just glancing at it. When inspecting wood exteriors, never trust your eyes.
2. One of the biggest issues with wood is degradation. When looking at particular areas, make absolutely sure you physically touch the wood. In fact, you are probably best off giving it a fairly good poke with a finger. In doing so, you should be looking for soft areas. Soft areas are indicative of rot in one form or another. Finding rot in one area should make you very concerned about finding rot throughout the structure. Put another way, you may
want to start looking at other homes on your list.
3. Finding soft spots in wood can be troubling, but there is something worse. If you poke or squeeze a piece of wood and dust or bits fall off, run for the care. This type of degradation is often a sign of termite problems. Termite problems should be a huge red flag for any prospective home. If you buy the house, you are going to have to tent it to kill the bugs and pay to inspect and repair the damage done by the evil little bugs. In short, you are buying a minor, but expensive, nightmare.
Make no mistake, wood can be very attractive on the exterior of a home. Just make sure you don’t rely solely on a visual inspection of it when deciding on the merits of the house.
About the Author: Raynor James is with the FSBO site - http://www.fsboamerica.org - FSBO homes for sale by owner. Visit our home buying page - http://www.fsboamerica.org/buyer.cfm - to view and buy homes, houses, condos, land and real estate.
Source: www.isnare.com
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