Home inspections are nothing new but they have not been a standard practice for purchasers until quite recently.  Many buyers cannot picture buying a property without having it professionally inspected.  There are many areas of a home that the inspector is looking at to examine its condition and one of the most critical is the roof.  Even though you are looking to the advise of an expert it is important to have an understanding of what is being inspected and why.

The roof of a home shields it from the weather so it is critical to know that there are no serious issues.  Based on what place you reside in roofs will be designed to combat the different conditions that are common to the area.  That’s why it is not only important to inspect the roof but to also get it inspected by a person that is knowledgeable about local building codes. For example a Toronto home inspector will review a roof’s capability to protect the house from heavy rains in the summer as well as ice and snow in the winter.  If you live down south there are different requirements for hurricane and high wind protection.

The pitched roof is by far the most common type that is constructed is North America.  There are essentially four pieces that are used in its construction.  The framing supplies the support for the whole roof.  On top of the framing plywood is laid that makes what is referred to as the deck.  In older homes wood boards were often used to build the roof deck that the waterproof covering will be affixed to. On top of the deck there has to be a waterproof barrier that protects not only the roof itself but the whole home.

A certified home inspector is going to look at a number of different areas when inspecting the roof.  The first is the state of the shingles.  Shingles may have a lifespan of about 25-50 years but no two sides of the house age at the same rate.  The sides of the roof that receive the most sun usually deteriorate faster.  With asphalt shingles, which are the most common, they will begin to curl, peal and crack.  This may allow water to get in and rot the deck and structure of the roof.

Although roofs need to be waterproof they just as importantly have to breath.  This is done through adequate ventilation by using roof vents and the soffit. Because the roof is the tallest point on the home warm air will travel up and collect in the attic.  If this air is not permitted to escape the moisture that is trapped will cause damage to theroof and to the deck.  There might not be any visible signs from the outside but the roof is deteriorating from the inside.  Most disconcerting is that moisture in the attic can cause mold growth which can pose a significant health risk.

Issues that may be found in the roof can be repaired.  It may be something as simple as putting in extra vents or getting new shingles installed.  Even damaged parts of the deck can be fixed quite easily.  A home inspector will be able to advise you as to level of the problem and how to rectify it.

Buying a house is a very serious matter that comes in to people’s lives. It is very risky to invest your money in buying just any house you find. You must have some guidelines that can help you decide which house is the best for you. Here are some:

1.    Determine your rights

When you are ready to buy your own house, be sure you understand your rights as a homebuyer. If you know the process of buying a house well enough then you can prevent yourself against fraudulent deals. If you do not wish to do your own home work then you can seek the services of well informed people like a real estate agent or a broker. Make sure that the agent you hire is licensed and have a wide knowledge regarding the area.

2.Ensure you have the required depth in your financial abilities

Your budget is really a big deal in buying your own house. What you want is different from what you need, so be practical. Going for a smaller house makes sense if you’re single and has to travel everyday? Make sure that you make the best for your money. Seek help or ask for suggestions especially for those who have knowledge in real estate prices. If you can’t stay for at least a year, buying a house is inappropriate for you. You may save a whole lot more of money if you sell it urgently.

3.Ensure it fits your way of living

Make your house a home. Be sure it really fits your way of life and you are comfortable with it. A good example of this is if you’re working in an office, a good place to find is near or in the vicinity of your office. If you love nature, a good place to find is outside the city with clean air, near parks, has a mountain view or near at the beach. Your personality really matters in finding a good house. Make sure to look at its suburbs first and try to gather some information about the area and its surroundings. Try also to consider the kind of neighbors you are going to have.

4.    Consider your future plan

If you’re newly married, you might to consider how many kids you want to have. You can make out how many rooms or how much of home space you will require. It won’t be a bad idea if can afford a home that has a good school close to it. School districts are more important to home buyers, therefore, it will increase your property values.

5.    Be organized

It is very important to make your document files organized and safe. Because it will prove that you own the house. It will help you a lot especially when it comes in paying your house payments (taxes and amortization).

The following help support this article Kent Swig , real estate agent Kelowna , and toronto real estate

Should you buy or rent? A lot has to do with your financial status and place of purchase. Years ago, I sold a home for a young couple who owed almost as much as the sales price on their house. They needed to take money from savings to pay the closing costs and sales commission. You can bet that they wished they had rented for the couple years they lived there.

Thus, the decision of renting or buying can only be taken once you have decided how long you will be staying in the area. Buying and later selling a home will usually cost about 10% or more of the value of the home. These costs mean that if the home only went up in value 10% or so in the year or two you lived there, you won’t be gaining anything (equity gain from principal pay-down is very little in the first years). Usually, renting is the best option for people that are always on the move.

What about towns with faster rates of appreciation? Have you done some serious homework? If not, to assume appreciation will be more than the rate of inflation is just gambling. Although the house is in a good neighborhood, they sold it for exactly the amount they paid for a couple of years back. You can’t count on fast appreciation just because it has been that way recently.

To Buy Or Rent – Cost Comparison

Looking at buying versus renting, you have to take into account that in many places it cost much more to buy. In Tucson, Arizona, for example, a small home can cost $200,000. The mortgage payment, taxes, insurance and maintenance will add up to about $1,600 per month, but you can rent the same size home for about $800.

This shows you what? Many real estate fanatics will say you’re at least buying something for your money, and renting is throwing your money away. Of course in this example more than $1,000 of your payment will be going towards interest alone, and that’s not buying you anything.

Suppose you can afford the $1600 per month, but instead you rent for $800 and put the other $800 into a decent safe investment that makes you 5%? In three years you’ll have over $30,000 in this account. If the home appreciated at 6% per year (it has been more like 25% per year recently, but that can’t continue, and assuming so is not planning, but gambling), it would be worth $231,000. The costs of initially buying it and then selling it would be around $13,800 (2% buying and 6% selling), leaving you with a gain of about 19,000 once we include your principal pay-down.

This meaning it would have been best to have leased the house instead of buying it. Definitely, these are not the only factors to ponder. Compare the total costs of owning versus renting, and then make safe assumptions about the rate of appreciation for homes.

In most cases, it is best to buy than rent, if you don’t intend to move for quite some time. In the last example, buying becomes a better bet after about four or five years. Besides owning your own property, you can get a mortagage which allows you to always pay the same amount, as opposed to renting.

To sum up, look at the time you’ll be there, the comparison of total monthly costs, whether rents are going up fast, and whether you have good reason to believe home prices will be going up fast. Then look also at all the personal factors. Do you want to be responsible for the maintenance, yard work and unpredictability of ownership problems?

To buy or to rent? In the end, you have to work this one out by yourself.

If you are looking to buy home in Okanagan and looking for a real estate agent Okanagan let me know.

This article was supported by Kent Swig, the team at Toronto condo for sale