I recently attended a home inspection for my client. During the home inspection debriefing, I observed how thorough and detailed the home inspector was with my Buyer.
"If the water leaks, turn off the valve," as the inspector pointed to the water shutoff valve.
Being a first time home buyer, my client left with a better understanding on how he needs to care for his future home.
As a homeowner (or renter), it's important to have a basic knowledge on certain things. Here's a short list of things you should pay attention to:
Electrical Panel
Locating the electrical panel is one of the first things you should do before you move into your new home. Ideally, the electrical panel should be located in a centralized location within the house. However, for older homes, the electrical panel could be outside.
When you open the cover plate, you’ll see a bunch of switches. Each breaker will be control the electricity to a specific part of the home. Make sure the breaker switches are labeled.
Plumbing
Plumbing is a very broad base thing. Plumbing can include a leaky shower head, to low water pressure, to a broken water pipe. During your home inspection, the inspector should document any plumbing issues. In addition to these things, it’s important to ask the inspector these additional questions:
- Where is the water heater? Some homes have the water heater located inside, while others have the heater located outside. Did you know some condominiums and town homes have a centralized water heater? This would be maintained by the condominium association.
- Where is the main water shutoff valve?
Parking Stall
This mainly pertains to condominiums and town homes. Before you even submit an offer, it’s important you check out where the parking stalls are. When you’re at an open house, have your REALTOR® show you where the parking stalls are located. The reason is, at some projects, the parking stall sizes can vary. Also, you want to find out where your stall is, in reference to your unit.
Did you know…? Once you’re in escrow, you can verify all parking stall information through the condominium documents.
-RO
Disclaimer: This is a personal blog. Ryan Oda (#RS-75450) is a licensed real estate salesperson with Benn Pacific Group, Inc (#RB-19423). The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of Benn Pacific Group, Inc., its agents, and or its affiliates. My thoughts and opinions can change over time. This blog is intended to provide a semi-permanent snapshot of a selection of various thoughts and opinions that may not be the same, or even similar, to those I may hold today.
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