Seven reasons why you should refuse to buy an apartment

Recommendation points

• First, there are heating problems.
• Secondly – leaking interpanel seams
• Third – plumbing
• Fourth – illegal redevelopment
• Fifth – leaking roof
• Sixth – problems with electrical wiring
• Seventh – unwanted neighbors

When purchasing housing, each future owner strives to choose the best of the real estate offered on the real estate market – a convenient location, high-quality repairs, a transport interchange, a modern, well-thought-out layout – all these are the basic wishes that the buyer formulates for himself, starting the search for a suitable apartment.

Perin Mahler. Practicalities

This list of requirements usually put forward for a future home is far from complete. Most often, the buyer is immediately determined with such preferences as the desired floor, the presence of a separate bathroom, the number of rooms, the total and living area and, of course, the maximum cost that he is willing to pay for the apartment..

It is clear that such obvious flaws in housing as too narrow a corridor, poor layout, for example, a walk-through living room, ragged walls, a small bathroom and an uncomfortable kitchen are striking at the first visit to the apartment for sale. However, there are a number of hidden drawbacks, which are not easy to detect, but at the same time they can have a significant impact on both the value of the property and the degree of comfort of living in a new apartment..

Asking about the seemingly invisible shortcomings of residential real estate of today’s owners or a realtor is almost hopeless. Of course, having lived in this residential area for several years, the owners are well aware of all its shortcomings and disadvantages, however, in order not to reduce the declared price of the apartment, most likely, they will simply keep silent about it. On the contrary, most often the owners try to disguise the hidden flaws of the housing even more, having carried out preliminary cosmetic repairs or focusing on a good location for housing and a large living space. Not interested in discovering flaws and the realtor, who is also trying to make the most of the sale of an apartment.

Therefore, in order not to be disappointed in a new purchase in the future, it is worth paying attention to the most common hidden flaws when examining a home – this will help to avoid additional costs and make the right choice.

So, what is the first thing to pay attention to potential buyers of residential real estate??

First, there are heating problems.

To find out thoroughly how good things are with heating an apartment, you can only make a purchase during the heating season. During this time, there is nothing easier than touching the battery with your hand and learning how the local district heating system works. Also, when inspecting an apartment, you can simply take off your outerwear and spend a long time in it (immediately after the cool air of the street, any room seems warm) in order to understand whether the temperature maintained by the heating system is comfortable in all rooms of the apartment. In addition, you should pay attention to the batteries themselves – are there any plugs signaling possible leaks, how long have they been changed or washed, whether the heating devices heat the same in different rooms.

Ivan Kirillov. By the stove. 2007

If housing is purchased in the summer season, then it is almost impossible to find out exactly whether the new home will be warm in winter. A survey of neighbors, of course, will help to find out the general tendency – if they don’t heat well in the whole house, then there is no need to hope for heat in a single apartment. However, it is quite possible that it is in this living area that due to old, clogged batteries or risers with heating, the situation is much worse than in other apartments of the house..

Therefore, if the warmth in the house is a priority requirement when choosing an apartment, it may be worth postponing the time of the transaction for the heating season..

Secondly – leaking interpanel seams

This is a problem that residents of panel houses, including new buildings, often encounter. The negligence of builders leads to the fact that in the cold season, poorly sealed seams between the panels freeze, and in the warm period rain and melt water gets into them, which in turn leads to the formation of fungus and mold on the walls inside the room. Often, the owners of such apartments try to deal with this problem by insulating the walls from the inside, however, such measures do not give a lasting effect, and without the help of professional climbers who can seal the seams from the outside, this situation cannot be done..

Therefore, if a potential buyer does not want dampness and cold to accompany living in a new apartment, you should pay attention to the interpanel seams, having carefully examined the outside of the house. In winter, it is enough to lean against the wall of the room to feel the cold outside. Also, the buyer should be alerted to the fact of re-pasting wallpaper or painting the walls only in certain parts of the room – perhaps in this way the owners are trying to hide the dark corners formed due to fungus and mold.

Third – plumbing

It is clear that a new toilet, bath or shower stall is immediately noticeable. Usually, buyers are limited to only a superficial examination of the bathroom, which can lead to such unpleasant surprises as constant leaks and the need to change pipes and taps in the very near future – immediately after moving. But the cost of such repair work can eventually amount to a substantial amount, so it is better to find out how well things are with plumbing communications during the first inspection of the apartment.

To do this, you should not just inspect the bathroom, but check how well the taps open and close, turn on the water, wait a while and evaluate if the drain pipes are clogged, if water has flowed under the bathroom, if the tap is leaking after the valve is closed, no whether there are traces of fungus and mold in the bathroom, visually assess the condition of all pipes in the apartment – traces of rust and clamps will become clear evidence of regular leaks and poor state of communications in general.

Then the same procedure should be carried out in the kitchen to make sure that the siphon under the sink is not leaking and that the tap is working properly. When buying an apartment in the secondary market, you need to ask how long the pipes in the whole house have been changed, whether there are frequent interruptions in the supply of hot and cold water.

Fourth – illegal redevelopment

This disadvantage is more related to the legal sphere and can bring additional problems and costs in the future, when the new owner decides to sell and inherit the property..

To find out whether the apartment was redeveloped and whether it was legally formalized is quite simple – you need to carefully study the technical passport of the BTI and compare the approved plan with the real layout of the property. If there are serious discrepancies, it is still better to refuse to buy – we independently legalize the redevelopment is quite costly and troublesome, and if the former owners demolished one of the load-bearing walls, the new owners will have to return the apartment to its original state at their own expense.

Fifth – leaking roof

The last floors are no longer considered a “zone of special risk”, since in new buildings above the last residential floor there is most often a technical floor that “protects” apartments from a leaky roof, but it is still worth finding out if the roof is leaking. This is especially true of houses with a flat roof, as well as corner apartments on the top floor of a house with a gable roof.

In this situation, an inspection of the ceiling at the entrance can help – if it flows here, then it is likely that it will eventually drip into the apartment, and the survey of neighbors living on the same site. In addition, if the owners carried out cosmetic repairs only on the ceiling of a separate room, this may signal that the owners tried to disguise the traces of rain or melt water that entered the room..

Sixth – problems with electrical wiring

Buyers of apartments in old buildings are most likely to face this problem, since outdated wiring is unlikely to cope with modern loads caused by an abundance of electrical appliances.

Of course, it is quite difficult for a layman to assess the condition of the electrical wiring, but there are several signs that should alert potential buyers. First of all, this is the state of the sockets in all rooms of the apartment. If at least one of them is melted, does not hold well, falls out – this can be a signal that the general condition of the electrical wiring in the apartment leaves much to be desired.

The safest way is to ask the owners to plug any electrical device into the outlet and check if there are any sparks, if the plug is free to enter and if the outlet itself is holding well. It is also worth asking if the machine often knocks out in the apartment and assess the condition of the visible wires – are there any traces of melting and noticeable damage.

Seventh – unwanted neighbors

These are most often referred to as alcoholics and drug addicts who can seriously ruin living in the most comfortable housing. But, if quietness in the room is one of the most desirable qualities of a new apartment, it is also worth finding out if families with small children live in neighboring rooms, whether repairs are being carried out nearby, which threatens to drag on for years, and also find out if neighboring apartments are being rented out. because constantly changing, sometimes inadequate neighbors can also become a source of discomfort.

Mia Funk. Theater of panic. 2008-2009

In this situation, it is worth turning to several sources of information at once – in the housing office, to the manager of the house, to get acquainted with the most likely neighbors, to assess the condition of the entrance – painted walls, the smell of a public toilet in the elevator and garbage scattered everywhere will be the best demonstration of the cultural level of residents and can seriously force doubt the advisability of buying this particular apartment.

Such seemingly not too significant hidden shortcomings inherent in both secondary and primary real estate can cause disappointment in their own choice after moving, so it is worthwhile to approach the choice of a new apartment very seriously and thoroughly, because often such a purchase becomes the most expensive and significant acquisition in life.