The market to buy a house is perfect, and you have saved and prepared to begin the search to buy a home. But as you begin the buying process with your realtor to find a home that is in great condition, there are some steps you need to take to look for unseen problems and issues. Here are some tips to help you inspect and do necessary due diligence to make sure the home you eventually buy, whether existing or newly-built, is free of unexpected and unwelcome problems.

Hire the Proper Inspections

Just by touring through the home you intend to buy does not guarantee you are going to have a complete picture of the home's condition. There may be conditions to the home's systems or components that the seller does not even know about. For example, the electrical wiring in the home may have damage due to improper installation and needs to be replaced. Although the electrical may still appear to work properly when you plug in an electronic, the wiring needs replacement to prevent a fire hazard.

After you are under contract to purchase a home, you should hire a home inspector to check through the home to look for problems, such as bad electrical, improper plumbing, damaged furnace, or improper roof runoff that could result in a flooded basement. It is important to hire the home inspection just after your contract to purchase is accepted. This will give you time to review the inspection findings and reevaluate or renegotiate your purchase offer on the home. If the home you are buying was just built, you still should hire a professional inspector so they can check the home for any problems that may have been missed by the builder.

Review the Property's CC&Rs

In addition to hiring a home inspection, there are some other tasks you need to complete on the home before you close. For example, if you are buying an existing or newly-built townhome or a condominium, you should find out details of the property's HOA fees and regulations. This includes reviewing the CC&Rs (Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions) on the property. The CC&Rs are the rules that dictate how the outside of your property needs to look, if you or any visitors can park on the street, or if you can install a satellite dish on your roof, as examples. The property's CC&Rs can also prohibit you to keep any pets in your home and on your property. This might include limiting the size of your dog or even your ability to keep a dog as a pet.

Some property CC&Rs are more restrictive than others, but they can protect your property better. Be sure you check into these before buying a property to make sure the rules and regulations are in line with your lifestyle. For more information, contact your local new home builders.