what to look for

What are some major things we should look at when we find a home we may be interested in buying??
Such as where the oil tank is, did they have animals, mold or water damage....
What else is there we should look into???

thanks for the help ladies!!

Re: what to look for

I would take into account the year the home was built, for reasons like old wiring, pipes, lead paint. Condition of the roof, exterior of the home. Will you need to put money into it there? Also windows & doors if they are old they can make your heating & cooling bills high. Appliances if they are older can make your electric bills high also. The size of the hot water tank & condition. What type of heating does the home have forced heat, electric, oil, etc.. Same for cooling CAC, or wall units. I am big on knowing what is under carpet if there is carpet b/c we like wood. Sometimes there is nothing under & then you have to factor in price of putting down flooring.
I would defin have an engineer/home inspector look at any property you put an offer in on. They will know exactly what to look for.

Re: what to look for

Thanks for the tips, we will deffinitly have a inspector be4 we sign. I just want to make sure we check everything that we can be4 we have to pay the inspector to tell us stuff we could have noticed our selfs...
Thanks agian! :)

Re: what to look for

Good luck! We are just starting out now too.

Re: what to look for

try to look at ceilings for water damage, make sure you know the school districts. feel the doors/windows for drafts. make sure all the appliances are checked. i know they have to during inspection, but take the extra few minutes to really check um out!

good luck!

Re: what to look for

when i go to seriously buy, i'd love to try the water pressure, the toilets, showers, run a dish in dishwasher, test out laundry machines.

also check for drafts, how well heat/ac works