it to buy a home that has had work done without permits once the walls in your new home are ripped open to check if the wiring was done correctly, or a fireplace or backyard pool that are against code are removed. Always check to make sure there hasn’t been any illegal work done on the home you wish to purchase. If there has, perhaps the seller can fix the problem (such as paying the fine, having the work inspected, and then bringing it up to code). But sometimes it’s just not worth the hassle, and it’s better for you to back out and find something else. And keep in mind— if a previous homeowner has cut corners on permits, etc., they might have also cut corners in other areas, too, which leads us to reason 5. 5. THE BUILDER MIGHT HAVE CUT CORNERS Finding a home that will last and stay the course is important. So, you want to be sure that previous homeowners of the property you wish to purchase haven’t cut corners, meaning they’ve gone the cheap and low-quality route in several areas. “If you haven’t already, use the final walk-through to scrutinize every nook and cranny,” says Ericson of Realtor.com. Ericson reports that Jesse Fowler, president of Tellus Design + Build (Costa Mesa, CA), says to look for fresh paint overspray on the inside or outside of window trim and light fixtures. “This overspray might be covering up inconsistencies in the finish — wood that doesn’t look like wood, for example,” he says. “But, more importantly, it quite often indicates that the contractor went with the lowest-quality painter, so it’s likely they cut corners elsewhere in places that are not so obvious.”
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