So you are thinking about buying a home in Gardner or Olathe? Before you make the offer and buy a “Money Pit” there are 7 important questions you want to ask your Gardner or Olathe real estate agent before you sign on the dotted line.

So you are thinking about buying a home in Gardner or Olathe?

Before you make the offer and buy a “Money Pit” there are 7 important questions you want to ask your Gardner or Olathe real estate agent before you sign on the dotted line.

1)The first important question you want to ask is ”How Old is the Roof?”

Who wants to buy the Gardner or Olathe home with a leaky roof or a rusted out vent that leaks? I suggest before you sign on the dotted line of the real estate contract you find out the age of the roof. If the roof is older and needs to be replace it could cost anywhere between $4,500-$20,000 to replace for a common 50 year architectural roof. Ask your real estate agent to find out when was it replaced and or repaired. If the roof was recently repaired, find out why it was repaired and if all of the repairs were completed. Sometimes patch jobs can temporarily keep the water from penetrating the roof and will cause bigger problems after closing. An example would be a monsoon rain that will expose the leaks. A new roof should have a life expectancy of 30-50 years.

If you need help having the roof inspected, I recommend Jeff Cordray from Cordray Roofing.

2) The next important question to ask is “Are There Any Issues with the Home’s Plumbing System?”

It is a sad fact but most home builders are cutting cost by using cheaper plumbing parts and fixtures. Just like the roof, a home with poor plumbing is no fun for the home buyer.

Plumbing repairs and replacements can cost a great deal of money, so it is important to understand what you are getting into before you sign on that dotted line. If there are any plumbing repairs that need to be made, find out details about what needs to be fixed, and ask for recommendations from professionals. This is only one of the reasons it’s important to ensure you use a good home inspector to inspect your new home.

I recommend Mike Dandurand from Bauer Inspection Services for your home inspection needs.

3) Just as important as the roof and plumbing is the Foundation. I suggest asking what type of foundation and if it has any problems like cracks and leaks.

This should be obvious, but who really wants a home with a leaky basement? A leaky basement could be the least of your problems. A poor foundation can lead to a long list pf problems.

The support for the home that you’re looking to purchase is very important. A home with a poor foundation can leak; as well as, prevent doors and windows from opening properly. You might also start observing cracks in the walls. A prospective home buyer needs to know what kind of foundation the home has and if it has had any previous issues. A foundation with no current problems could still have future problems. The home could have severe problems that have been masked by recent repairs. Be prepared to investigate or hire a good structural engineer.

A good structural engineer will be able to observe and take some basic measures to check if there is any deflection in the walls and what possible problems should be expected in the near future with proper normal care.

If you need help choosing a structural engineer, I recommend Mike Dandurand, from Baurer Inspection Services.

4) If you want to prevent from reserving your summer weekends for making exterior repairs, I recommend asking about material used for the exterior siding and when was it last maintained.

Some exterior material like stucco and masonry are much easier to take care of than wood composite siding but all exterior siding need some kind of maintenance. In addition, stucco and masonry cost more than wood composite sidings. All siding and trim will need periodic painting, sealing joints or repairing the gutters. A poorly maintained exterior can lead to a huge expensive repair bill down the road.

I recommend asking when the last time the exterior was repaired. If it hasn’t been repaired recently, I recommend Mike Dandurand performing a thorough home inspection and Michelle Hanna from Altrustic Contracting to help with the necessary exterior repairs.

4) Next question to ask is “How old is the HVAC system and is it working properly?”

I had a friend hire Joseph Burger from JB Design to do an energy audit on his home. The results were very interesting and I learned a lot from Joseph. I learned that two similar homes could have utility bills that averaged nearly $200 difference a month because of undersized venting, air leaks and a poorly maintained HVAC system. That is a $2400 difference a year in cost. That can be a huge expense over the lifetime of your home ownership.

First ask how old the HVAC system is and when the last time it was repaired. If you can’t find this out, I recommend having Joseph Burger inspect the HVAC system for you.

6) Next question is “What is the Neighborhood Like?”

Most home buyers want to just go out and look at homes. Once they move in they then get to know the area. What happens if they don’t like the area, right? Seems like an expensive problem if they don’t like the neighborhood, doesn’t it?

I recommend before heading out and looking at homes, settle on an area that you want to move to. There are similar homes in Liberty, Blue Springs, Raymore, Overland Park, Olathe, and Gardner. What makes these communities different is the neighborhoods.

Spend time visiting and exploring the area. Visit the parks and schools. Calculate the commutes and area amenities. A great real estate agent who specializes in the area will be able to offer some valuable information to help you choose the right area.

Before you make an offer on a home you also want to ask about any possible problems that may hurt the real estate values? High crime, sexual predators, industrial buildings in the area could affect the future value of the property.

Need help exploring the area, checkout Johnson County Relocation Links.

7) Next question is “How Long has the Home Been on the Market?”

If the home just went on the market there probably is not much negotiating with the seller. Likewise if the home has been on the market for over 90 days there might be advantage for the home buyer when negotiating a contract. Although many home sellers are upside down, some sellers may be more willing to accept a lower offer if they are looking to sell their home quickly. Don’t forget it is more important to look at comparable properties that have sold in the area rather than current properties for sale when making an offer.

By asking these 8 important real estate questions you will hopefully gain more insight into the home that you are interested in purchasing.

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