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7 Simple Tips For Flipping Real Estate
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, you’ve probably either dabbled in real estate yourself, or at the very least, know someone who has. So, how does someone that’s brand new to real estate start flipping homes? (And let’s...
Michigan Real Estate – A Little Of Everything
With lakes, forest, farmland, college towns and big cities, Michigan has a little of everything. Fortunately, Michigan real estate prices are on the low end.
Michigan
Michigan is a state of great beauty if the outdoors is your thing. The state...
Reversible Negatives When Buying A House
So it's time to buy a house. Whether you're shopping on a budget or searching for your dream home no matter what the cost, there are a few things you should keep in mind when you go to view potential properties.
The bottom line is this: Every...
The Importance Of Real Estate Farming
What is real estate farming? Real estate farming is the process of branding yourself to a specific group of people, area or market segment as a first choice agent for homebuyers, homesellers or real estate investors. Real estate farming is a long...
The Most Sensible Investment Decision You’ll Ever Make
So much advice is bandied about on the internet and even on the street about what makes a sensible investment, what makes a good investment and what makes a secure investment.
Well – when you consider that for most of us our own home is actually...
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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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