We’ve
all heard of or experienced the horror story of a new home purchase, rental
property, or new move. The truth of the matter is that no one will ever
be able to accurately predict every single unforeseen issue that may ever arise
through the duration of a home investment. Although this is true,
Nationwide Home Fax has continuously proven its value by informing anyone what
it would be like to live, rent, or invest in any particular residential or
commercial property.
Nationwide Home Fax is a new concept to the real estate market, providing valuable information
services that precisely reflect a background check and preliminary home inspection
for any potential purchase or lease agreement. Most people consider a home inspection through
the process of purchasing a property, but many do not understand the various
aspects that contribute to your overall long-term happiness, return on
investment, and susceptibility of that purchase or lease agreement.
Have
you ever experienced an unforeseen issue with the neighborhood you live in? The
neighbors you live by? The condition and continuous maintenance to your new
purchase? Even when you thought you knew all you could, chances are you missed
something.
The
concept and findings of each Home Fax Report reach far and beyond what most
people would typically consider when purchasing a home. Although the possibilities are endless
and the examples to share are never-ending, Nationwide Home Fax has provided a
few real life examples of how we would have been able to prevent these horror
stories for our clients and ourselves:
--The Unknown Structure
We
conducted a Home Fax Report on a newer home built in 1994, close to an
industrial factory, with a large one acre parcel. The distance between
the home and factory, as well as the environmental conditions, was important,
but what rested in the foundation did not compare.
After
conducting a Pre-Inspection Analysis and Real-time Photographs of the
residence, large 2”-3” separation cracks were observed at the base of the
foundation, near the crawl space, on the East side only. One would typically expect a twenty year old concrete
block foundation would not suffer from large “staircase” cracks. Through
additional environmental research, Nationwide Home Fax discovered that the
right side of the home, the East end where the structural damage was observed,
was positioned on a flood hazard zone and wetland area.
The
environmental records showed underground water was essentially running through
the ground in the exact spot we observed the separation, and was essentially
eroding the soil, and foundation, of the entire structure. It was only a
matter of time before the home would require significant costs to repair, or
would crumble beneath the unfortunate owner who did not make an informed
decision and did not Know the Home Before You Buy. This example is extremely important, as it emphasizes the necessity
of critical thinking and analyzing all findings in comparison to one another.
--The ‘Problem’ Neighbor:
Shortly
after entering into a two year lease agreement on a lake house in a secluded
rural area, we experienced immediate issues with our neighbor that led to an
unhappy, stressful lifestyle in our new home. The home itself was great
and the area was relatively peaceful, but weeks after moving into the home we
began to experience problems that generated into safety concerns from our
neighbor across the street.
Through
talking with other neighbors (Neighborhood Contacts) we found out that he was
best friends with our landlord and had a key to our home! He was one of
those people who gave you ‘that feeling’, not to mention the criminal history
that we uncovered, and the same was true for how our other neighbors thought
living in the immediate area. The experience was extremely convoluted,
with too much detail to specifically explain through this example, but needless to say, we were always
conscious of the neighbor’s whereabouts, activities, and observations through
the course of our two year lease agreement.
Had
we of spoken to neighbors prior to leasing the property, we would have
uncovered the common issues that each of them had with our ‘problem neighbor’
and would have chosen another property due to the unwanted stress and
unhappiness that came from our constant negative interactions with this
neighbor. Ultimately, we made little use out of the great amenities that
came with the location due to this problem neighbor.
Nationwide Home Fax would have found this potential problem, and would have been able to
inform the tenant prior to leasing. Our Enhanced and In-Depth Home Fax Report packages include Neighborhood Contacts (in-person and by phone), as well
as Real Time Photographs, and Videography that include direct contact with the
neighbors and community.
--The ‘Money Pit’
Recently,
Nationwide Home Fax partnered with a real estate agent and investor who was
about to pull the trigger on a property in the immediate area that was
relatively inexpensive, $110k, for the amount of home and property for sale. The
interior was recently remodeled, the home rested on almost an acre (in an area
with an average of .2 acres per parcel), contained four bedrooms and three
bathrooms, and was very attractive from an investment perspective, with a
rental estimate of $1,200/per month.
We
conducted a Home Fax Report, and found immediate issues with the home that
raised concern through Building & Construction Permits, Real-Time Photographs, and a Pre-Inspection Analysis. Through the course of our research, we
found there to have been an electrical and roofing permit pulled on the
property approximately two months prior to our research. However, the
permits were suspended before the work ever appeared to be finished or
completed. After further research, it appeared that the owner had
experienced unforeseen issues that led to an uncompleted process of the work,
and termination of the projects and permits.
The
property was re-listed from a conventional mortgage to a land-contract (meaning
no mortgage available, and no appraiser to approve a loan) shortly after the
permits were suspended. Nationwide Home Fax arrived at the property and observed
large amounts of moisture damage to the roof, which appeared to be partially
re-shingled, and two large electrical lines that were cut at the exterior of
the home.
Expecting
to see unfinished work on the interior, we instead observed what appeared to be
a ‘new remodel’ to the interior, including: new drywall, carpeting, fresh
paint, new furniture, etc. Needless to say, a home inspector (conducting a
limited visual observation of the interior) would have been unable to foresee
any potential issues with the electricity due to the limited scope and
observation of their work.
The
investor most likely would have purchased the property, but opted out after
further research appeared to confirm our findings. The property that at first
glance appeared so attractive was the next potential ‘money pit.’ Therefore,
our client was able to make an informed decision, possibly saving in excess of
$110,000. However, shortly after we were able to help the agent and
investor make an informed decision, the property was unfortunately purchased by
another individual who we were unable to inform.
Stop guessing, and stop risking your finances, well-being, and safety when purchasing your next home! Check out www.NationwideHomeFax.com to learn
more and order your Home Fax Report today!