Buying a house is not an easy task to accomplish, many are the pitfalls. Bellow are some tips that will help avoid the most common problems.

• Visit the house after a heavy storm and check for standing water or wet spots in the basement or crawlspace. Ask to see if there have been any previous water problems.
• Ask the neighbors if they know of any drainage problems with the house.
• Check for stains on the walls of the basement and salt deposits, musty odors, rust and inspect the inside corners for separation at the joints from the foundation.
• Has it been freshly painted?
• Does it look like the cracks have been patched?
• Where are the downspouts going?
• If there have been obvious repairs who did the repair work?
• Is there a warranty? Is there a service agreement in order to maintain that warranty?
• Is there a sump pump?
• Has the floor been opened or is there an obvious seam on the floor off the wall about 12 to 14 inches? Are there any tiles going to the pump crock?
• Are there cracks in the brick?
• Last but not least, use common sense. Just because the seller tells you they had a problem but they did this or that to fix it, does not mean the problem has been corrected.