Whether you’re planning on downsizing or moving to a new location during retirement, a home inspection is your best tool to make sure you are purchasing a home that will serve you well during your golden years. The most important aspect of your next home is arguably the location. Will you choose to go for a coastal down like Sunset Beach or Myrtle Beach, or prefer a smaller fishing town like Calabash? The location is the first thing you should research, and once you’ve found the perfect community, you can focus your attention on the house itself.
Important Things to Look for in Your Retirement Home
Hiring a home inspector is the single most important thing you can do when purchasing a new home. This ensures that your home is in good condition and can help you become aware of any problems or major repairs that may be needed in the near future. This can help you not only budget for repairs and maintenance that may be needed, but it can also protect your from having any unexpected repair bills or exhausting maintenance tasks down the line.
What to Look for on Your Inspection Report
Retirement is your time to finally sit back and relax after being a part of the working class for the majority of your life. The last thing you want to do is spend your free time trying to fix up the problems within your home, so ensuring that some of the bigger ticketed items are in well working and maintained order prior to purchasing your retirement home is key.
Energy Efficiency and Insulation
Insulation might not be the first thing on your mind when it comes to purchasing a home for your retirement years, but your insulation combined with energy efficient features can play a huge role in your overall comfort. While energy efficient features can help ensure that your utility bills stay low, ensuring you have more manageable costs, they go hand in hand with proper insulation to help keep your comfortable all year long. Your home will stay warmer in the winter months and cooler in the summer, ensuring that your home stays the ideal temperature year-round without skyrocketing utility costs.
Electrical and Plumbing
Plumbing and electrical are both expensive components within a home that are not easy to fix. While there are multiple things your inspector should look for including the overall condition of the pipes and leaks, you want to pay extra close attention to signs of water damage as well as signs of rust or corrosion as these could lead to health issues and expensive repairs.
If you’re purchasing an older home, ensuring that the electrical has been updated to fit more modern electrical needs is crucial in ensuring the overall enjoyment of your home. A licensed electrician is your key to ensuring that your home is not only efficient, but also safe and free of any electrical hazards.
Roofing
It’s no secret that roofing is one of the most expensive repairs homeowners face, which is why ensuring it is in good condition is vital before purchasing a home for retirement. You’ll want to look for any signs of damage such as missing shingles, sagging or bubbles areas, leaks, water damage, etc. Make sure to look at the roofing section of your home inspection in depth, and if needed, you can always ask for a second pair of eyes to help you scan through the verbiage to ensure your roof is in great condition, otherwise, requesting repairs or replacement prior to closing might be a wise counteroffer.
Another thing that is important to look for, while not on an inspection report, is safety features. These features can vary widely, and while some can be installed after move in, there a few things that you’ll want to keep in mind before purchasing your home for retirement. Thing of things such as single story vs. two stories, grab bars and handles in the bathrooms, non-slip surfaces, etc. Another thing to look for, especially if you’re purchasing an older home is the house’s overall layout and design. Are the hallways wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair for future mobility needs? If you have stairs, can you install a stair lift? Is there adequate lighting to ensure good visibility during the evenings? These are all great questions to ask yourself when house hunting to help you find the perfect place to call home during your retirement years!
Ready to learn more about buying a home in the Carolina’s for your retirement years? We can help. Contact us anytime to get started.