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Complete Home Rehab in 10 Days! |
This
report is about taking a house and restoring it to an aesthetically
pleasing dwelling that has reclaimed its functional utility. In effect, it
is the anti-aging medication for bricks and mortar.
This report assumes that you have already or will soon acquire the proper
house. The one that is in essence, ripe for rehab. Be selective and sure
of the house's potential to allow for a profit after all the hard work is
done. I will help you find your house or houses.
In the proverbial nutshell, it helps if you choose a house from the start
that has a sound plumbing, heating and electrical system.
- Plumbing
- Heating
- Electrical
These are things that are expensive to correct in relation to the value
they return to you upon resale. Most often, people cannot see the inner
workings of these systems and they take them for granted.
Very few buyers are going to give you an extra RM15,000-RM20,000 in your
asking price because you have replaced things that they can't see and
already take for granted as just a basic component that is buried in the
structure. Also, they assume these components to be warranted against
defects by you.
After all, it is mandatory in most, if not all states that you fill out a
disclosure form that tells the buyer of every defect that exists or ever
has to your knowledge. So inspect the systems of your investment
alternatives carefully, as they can be expensive to repair and replace,
with minimum dollar return value being realized at the sale.
Along these same lines, you should also pay close attention to the
following cash vacuums:
- Roof
- Foundation
- Structural Integrity
Here are a few ways to quickly gauge a home from its appearance:
Stand across the street from it. Now look at the bones of the structure.
Does it look like a sway-backed horse, with the roof sagging in the
middle? Does it have flat areas in its design that don't allow water to be
drained away quickly?
Water, dampness and rot are the equivalent of cancer to the human body
when it concerns a structure. Shingles can be replaced. That won't
necessarily stop me from buying. Usually I will use that old roof as a
bargaining chip in negotiating the seller down to a lower price. However,
if I crawl into the attic and see that the plywood has become rotted and
truss members are also affected, it's time to move on to my next potential
deal. Life is too short and I will never rehab it in 10 days if I have to
rip the roof off and rebuild it too.
Some other conditions, such as sagging eaves, wavy roof surface, rotten
fascia and trim pieces, and insect infestation can be deal killers too, if
severe.
Solution: Get into the structural members with a long, sharp, sturdy,
standard flat-tip screwdriver and attempt to penetrate structural
components that are made of wood. You won't hurt anything if there are no
underlying deficiencies. However, if someone has freshly painted over or
patched it, that screwdriver is one heck of a lie detector! Use it.
Now, I'm not saying people would do that. It may just be the termites have
eaten everything but the exterior coating of the wood to conceal their
activity whatever the case probe.
There are also tile roofs, metal roofs, cedar shake roofs, hot-rolled
roofing, tar and gravel roofs and always a few new high-tech roof
coatings. I feel my main concern is whether the decking or the roof
support structure has been undermined by water, insects, rodents, poor
materials, poor design or craftsmanship, a lack of fasteners, strapping,
etc.
Shingles and coatings can be replaced. Just know what is underneath.
That's my criteria. Negotiate lower for needed replacement of roof
coverings if you can. I dwell on roofs because it protects everything
else!
Next on the list of deal killers is the foundation.
The same thing applies to the foundation. I will start by standing back
from it and looking at it from a distance. Does this place look like the
Leaning Tower of Pisa? Or are the seams coming apart? Do the windows and
doors look square? Are porches, stairs and additions on firm ground as
well?
Block homes can tell you very quickly if they are stressed out just by the
appearance of the mortar joints. Those giant unsettling cracks can and do
tell a story. This does happen and mortar cracks maybe 10-years old. You
need to investigate further.
Once again, water is a sign of trouble with foundations because it leads
to erosion, rot, mold and mildew. It washes out foundation materials and
slabs will crack. It rots sill plates and your walls are no longer firmly
attached to a base.
If you have a crawl space, it's time to get your coveralls on and get in
there. Now, let's use our heads here and I mean this! Before you enter a
dark, supposedly uninhabited, infrequently entered, dark and restrictive
to movement area, assess the situation. Ask someone who has knowledge of
the dwelling if there has been any animal activity that they know of. You
may also encounter bees, wasps, ants, spiders, snakes, slugs, mosquitoes,
rats, mice and a host of other inhabitants. Beware and be prepared. It's
truly another world in some cases. If you don't want to do it, hire a professional and I do mean a pro, not
some Joe who says he is one. For goodness sake, use a licensed
professional home inspector to protect yourself in all areas if you're
just not sure!
OK, you're a trooper and you're going in. Good for you, Rambo! You'll make
it in this business because it takes faith, guts and determination. By
getting into this type of situation, you'll learn a lot more about every
part of the homes you inspect.
You should have a strong flashlight, your trusty screwdriver, maybe some
insect repellent and a safety observer standing at the access entry to
give you piece of mind. Now you can go to the perimeter walls and inspect
where the walls meet the foundation. Look for rot, misalignment, cracks,
separations, water damage or any other condition that doesn't appear
normal. While you're down there, look at the other foundational supports, you will
see pier blocks and posts, other concrete support pillars and walls,
beams, joists and cross bracing, and the underside of sub-flooring. Check
this stuff's condition. Does it look original? Is it structurally sound?
Or are there some discrepancies that need further investigation? Take a
good look and smell!
Don't leave yet. You also will want to look at all that plumbing and
electrical that is there as well. Scan the perimeter. Do you see any
sunlight coming in from where it shouldn't be? That might be a hole that
needs repair. This is common sense land, not computer a chip lab. You can
inspect for general condition. Simply follow everything to its logical
end, looking mainly at the condition of the different components.
OK, you've made mental and physical notes. Now dust yourself off and go
inside the house if everything has checked out so far.
So the roof and foundation have passed your keen eye...
Let's look at the rest of the house with respect to its structural
integrity. More than half of your structural integrity check at this point
is already complete as the roof and foundation are two of the most
important components and those have been done. Now you are left with the
interior spaces of the structure.
Here's what I do once inside. I stand at the front door with a checklist
in hand and I begin to scan the walls, ceiling
and floors. I'm looking for water stains on all three surfaces, as well as
patches that were used to repair or conceal damage. I go through every
room and look for signs of damage or concealment.
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