Homebuyers looking at a home they are thinking about buying can actually discover some exterior problems or defects on their own. It is advantageous to look for some of these issues on your walk-through or your tour of the house even before you put an offer in on the home. Finding some issues may allow you the ability to adjust your offer and provide you with a preliminary understanding of the condition of the home. Discovering some of these problems beforehand will give you an advantage because you will know some of the problems upfront rather than waiting for your home inspection.
One of the first things that you can look at when touring the home is the exterior grading. Exterior grading is referring to simply the ground around the house. Where does this ground slope? What you are looking for is ground or grade around the home that has a gentle slope away from the exterior foundation walls. Having a positive slope will direct water away from these walls which are porous and help control any water infiltration in the basement, crawlspace or the lower level. You want to make sure that the ground around the home will not direct water to the structure of the house which makes the structure more vulnerable to water infiltration. Also, if there is a steep slope at the back or side of the home that will also direct a high volume of water to the structure. Ideally, we want water to be directed away from all sides of the home and this includes patios and walkway areas as well. The better job at managing and directing water away from the exterior of the home you lower the potential for water infiltration in the basement or the crawlspace. So, make sure you look at the exterior grading and make sure that the grade is directing water away from the home. If it is not, then your house is going to be more vulnerable to water penetration problems.
You must also look at the roof. Most roof coverings installed on homes in New Jersey are asphalt shingle roofs. New Jersey does not have a great deal of specialty type roofs. You can gain information by just looking up at the roof of the house you are thinking about purchasing. Are the shingles flat to the roof? Are there any curling or cracked shingles that you can see from the ground? Does the protected granular material still intact or can you see the asphalt mat at the edges of the roof shingles? Are there any areas of patching or different color shingles? Asphalt roofing has a life expectancy of about 20 years. If you know that the roof is old or going to need a replacement that is good information to have before you put your offer in on the home. Buyers must also understand that if you accept the roof that is older and needs near-term replacement that your insurance company may require you to replace that roof covering before you expected to do so. Insurance companies are very conservative now with assessing roofs. They have experienced many losses and are very conservative. There have been instances where insurance companies have not insured roofs that are 15 or 16 years old. If you’re buying a home with an older roof you must talk to your insurance company regarding its age and make sure that obtaining and keeping insurance coverage will not be a problem. Roofing can be an expensive investment especially just after you move into the home.
One area of roofing that can be particularly problematic is a low sloped roof area. Low sloped roofing generally is significantly more vulnerable to leakage and problems than a steep pitched roofing. Water snow and ice tends to collect on a low sloped roofing. When you’re purchasing a home, be aware of any areas of low sloped roofing. These will be the areas of prime leakage vulnerability in your roof surface. Low sloped roofing also has a shorter life expectancy than steep pitched roofing. If you’re purchasing a home with a low sloped roof or a portion of your roofing system has a low sloped area understand that that is an area of vulnerability just by its nature of being low sloped.
Prospective homebuyers should also be looking for exterior foundation wall cracking. Now it is true that most of the basement walls will be below ground and not visible, however some of the foundation walls are generally visible on the exterior of the home. You should be looking for any horizontal or stairstep type cracks in the foundation wall. It is not likely that you will be able to see horizontal cracking that will most likely be reserved for the interior inspection. What you can look for primarily is stair step cracking at the corners of the foundation walls. This stair cracking is generally caused by differential movement of the structure where one portion of the structure is moving or settling at a faster rate than the other portion of the structure. Typically, this type of cracking is caused by water collecting along the exterior foundation walls of the home especially at the corners of the house. If you see this type of cracking is a structural concern and you should look for any downspouts that are discharging water close to this area because that is likely the cause of the problem. Looking for foundation wall cracks before your home inspection can allow you to take a photo of the crack and send that to your home inspector so you can get a preliminary assessment of the cracking. Of course, this is not a catchall, and you will not be able to determine with certainty if a significant problem exists but at least you’ll get a first opinion from the home inspector, and this may put your mind at ease somewhat. When you’re touring the home just don’t tour the inside, make sure you walk around the exterior of the home as well, so you get an understanding if there are any foundation wall cracking that is worrisome.
If the home does have a deck, you should look at the deck. One of the things that is useful is to walk up and down the deck steps to make sure that they are not sloped because this is a common problem with deck steps. Any sloping stairs would indicate a potential tripping hazard. I’m not saying that you should crawl under the deck to look at the deck structure, but it would not be a bad idea to just take a peek under the deck to see if you have any compromised or rotting wood under the deck structure. Decks have a life expectancy of about 20 years and looking at the deck will give you an idea of its age. Another good idea is to check the deck guardrails and handrails to make sure that they are sturdy. A deck guardrail should be able to hold back 200 pounds of weight across its top rail. If you notice that the rails are loose or weak that is a problem and will need correction for sure. You can also look at the deck top and make sure that the deck planks are in good condition and not rotted in areas. Just getting a cursory look at the deck will help you to understand its overall condition. You may not be able to assess the entire structural components of the deck but looking at the deck when you’re touring the home can provide useful information to you a perspective buyer.
The next thing you should look at is the exterior siding. It is very useful to understand what type of exterior siding they have on the home. Is the siding vinyl, metal, wood shingle, fiber cement, or stucco? Knowing what exterior siding you have on the home is beneficial because some exterior siding materials are more problematic than others. The more problematic materials or exterior stucco and fiber cement shingle. These two materials must be installed correctly to prevent future expensive damage from occurring. Fiber cement siding has some stringent installation requirements that must be met. So, if you’re buying a house was fiber cement siding you are more vulnerable to problems because many builders and installers don’t meet all of these requirements when installing this type of siding. If you’re buying a stucco home, stucco has its own set of issues. Stucco needs to drain properly and often we find missing stucco drain systems which will allow water to be trapped behind the material causing long-term problems possibly in the wall cavities. Improperly installed stucco is responsible for significant wood rot and mold issues in a home. This is especially true of the synthetic stucco. Synthetic stuccos do not drain properly and must be installed absolutely correctly to keep water from penetrating behind the material. I don’t expect you to understand every stucco siding defect, but it is useful to understand what type of siding you are purchasing. If you have a stucco exterior siding, there are specialty moisture inspections that can be contracted for to give you more peace of mind that there is no water or moisture behind the stucco causing damage that is not visible.
Also, on the exterior of the home you can look for deteriorating walkways and driveways. Look for cracking and damage of the walkways and driveways. A driveway will have a life expectancy of about 25 years. If the driveway is cracked and broken apart and has areas of loose asphalt that driveway will likely need very near-term replacement. Any areas of the walkways that are raised or heaved can be a tripping hazard. Often tree roots pushing the walkway upward will allow the walkway to be raised in and this can create a tripping hazard which you will most likely have to correct when you take possession of the home. Insurance companies will send out inspectors to take pictures of any potential liability issues and one of the things that they do is take pictures of the driveways and walkways that are in poor condition. It is likely that the walkway at the front of the home belongs to the house. Once you buy the home you also purchase the walkway, and the driveway so make sure they are in reasonably good condition.
When you are walking around the home that you are thinking about buying you should also look up at the chimneys. Are there any loose bricks, gaps or open areas at the chimney top? Sometimes there is one chimney, other times a home has two chimneys. A chimney not only vents fireplaces but can also vent heating equipment and your water heater. Sometimes a chimney has two flues other times a home will have two separate chimneys. Chimneys are expensive to repair or replace. You should also look at the chimney from a distance and determine if the chimney has any slope or lean to it. A chimney that is leaning is going to be unsafe and can cause you significant expenses to repair or replace. When you are touring the outside of home make sure to look up at the chimney or chimneys and see if you visually find any damage, gaps or loose bricks.
You would think the condition of the shed or garage would not negatively impact your home. However, it does. If you have a detached garage or shed, you should walk around the exterior of it and enter it this is especially true if the home is older. Most of the old garages do not have foundations and were built very close to the level of the ground and this over time causes wood rot and insect damage to occur. Your outbuildings such as a shed or garage are in poor condition, this is likely to be a problem with obtaining homeowners insurance coverage. Homeowners’ insurance coverage is getting very conservative, and they are flagging outbuildings for poor condition, and they may not cover the home, or they may not continue to cover the home without corrections or replacement of the building on the property that is in poor condition. I’m not asking you to do a full and thorough inspection of your outbuildings, but you should get a sense of the overall condition. If it’s in poor condition, then corrections or replacement are most likely going to be necessary. You can view the garage walls to make sure that the garage walls are not racking or moving. Often, especially in older detached garages, we will see the walls racked or have moved because the structure is no longer solid or doing its job correctly.
You should also look for exterior siding in direct contact with the ground during your walk around the house. Would earth contact can be very problematic because it makes the home more vulnerable to wood rot and insect damage. Having siding that is low to the level of the ground makes the home more vulnerable for insects to find the structure and for wood rot to develop because water snow and ice cause damage to the siding and damage to the structure inside such as the sill plate and the box plate if this is low to the level of the soil. Would earth contact is very easy to find if you just look for it. If you’re buying a home that is close to the level of the soil that makes it more vulnerable for problems to occur. Many homes constructed on a slab will have this wood earth or siding to ground contact problem.
You should also be aware of what type of foundation the home you are purchasing has. Is the home constructed on a basement, slab, or crawlspace foundation? Most homes in New Jersey are constructed on a basement foundation which is advantageous. However, some areas of New Jersey have crawlspaces, and other homes are constructed on a slab foundation. I’ve been to many homes where the buyers of the house were unaware that a crawlspace does exist. It is very helpful to know that a crawlspace does exist because this is likely to be where the problems exist in the home. Crawlspaces are problematic because they are challenging to enter and inspect. It is advantageous to know that you have a crawl space because you can alert your NJ home inspector to that fact and he or she can prepare to inspect it. Often when crawlspaces exist home inspectors must wear protective clothing to protect themselves from issues inside the space. Another problem with crawl spaces is that some are inaccessible meaning that they are not able to be inspected either because of poor access, inadequate access, or unsafe conditions. It is helpful to know if you have a crawlspace and if a home inspector would be able to enter it safely. If the crawlspace is not able to be inspected, then it is a significant risk to you the buyer of the home.
As a buyer of a home, you have the ability to walk around the exterior of the house, so you get an understanding of the condition of the outside. So many times, I’ve done inspections for clients who have not walked around the exterior of the home. They’ve entered through the front door but never viewed the sides or rear of the house that they’re spending a fortune to purchase. It is always advantageous to view the exterior of the home so at least you get a birds eye view of some of the problems that may exist. You as the buyer of the home have more power than you think and should take the time to thoroughly look at the exterior of the home that you’re thinking about purchasing.