Buying a house is a stressful, expensive projectsomething most people understand.
That’s why they do their diligence.
Lots andlots of questions.
But there are some not-so-common questions that are also worth asking.
Was the home ever used as a business?
A lot of people use their homes for their livelihood.
If that means a home office for telecommuting, its nothing to worry about.
Has the house ever been hit by a car?
For example, this house in San Josehas been hit23 timesin 50 years.
This house in Ohio has beenhit three times(plus one near-miss).
And this house in North Carolina was hit by carssix times over the course of a decade.
What exactly will I own?
But you should never assume, because sometimes what you see is not at all what you get.
Do all the outlets work?
Older homes often dont have enough power outlets.
Or, maybe the house has old wiring that onlylookslike it was upgraded and modernized.
Is it considered historic?
If your new house has old charm, its worth asking, or checking directly with the local government.
Why exactly was the basement renovated?
Is there a buried tank on the premises?
Old houses sometimes have ancient oil tanks buried underground.
But if the tankwasntdecommissioned, it could be a huge problem.
And removing a tank can be expensivearound $10,000if youve got an environmental disaster on your hands.
Best to ask about it before you assume that responsibility.
How are those trees doing?
Trees are terrific, and offer a lot ofbenefits to a property.
It pays to ask about the trees on your potential propertyhow often were they pruned and trimmed?
Has an arborist inspected the trees for diseases, infestations, or damage?
