When Buying a Home, Don’t Let These Be Deal breakers

House hunting has its ups and downs, and often we see clients love a home and discover what they view as a deal breaker.  We were live on the set of  Twin Cities Live to share advice on how to handle these issues and if you should walk away, or not.

Watch the video here, or read below for some quick tips.

Water Stains/Mold

• Should be something to be concerned about, but if the cause is known often can be taken care of.
•  Past water stains don’t necessarily indicate mold or current leaks especially if the issue was caught early and the cause was taken care of. You need to figure out where the water is coming from and fix the issue.
• You will however always have to disclose mold in the future and there are some buyers that will pass on a home if there has been a mold issue, even if the issue has been taken care of.

•  Many buyers dismiss a home if they know that the sellers had pets or it smells like cigarette smoke. It’s hard to get past a bad smell.
•  For a smoke smell you can re-paint, shampoo carpets and remove any window treatments that may have soaked up the smell. Have the air ducts cleaned & sanitized and run an ozone machine in the house.  This should remove the smoke smell.

• Not all foundation cracks are bad; some are due to just normal settling. You just want to make sure they are sealed to prevent water intrusion.
• Wide cracks or displacement are the bigger issues that scare buyers off.
• A reputable foundation repair company installing anchors or braces can fix larger foundation issues and most reputable companies will provide a good warranty. This is something you can negotiate to have the sellers do if you absolutely love the house. If you can’t negotiate this or receive a price reduction, it may be best to move on to another home.

• This issue can usually be remedied.
• Most homes at some point deal with insect, mice or squirrel issues.
• Hire a pest control company to exterminate the mice or insects. A good exterminator should be able to take care of the issue and most companies will come back for a 2nd time a few months later to ensure no critters

• Don’t  pass on a house because of this, rather  properly negotiate and budget for future repairs/replacements.