33 Surprising Signs There’s Something Wrong With Your House

33 Surprising Signs There’s Something Wrong With Your House

Posted from BestLifeOnline.com…

Your home will probably be the most expensive purchase you ever make. Even after spending an average of $379,600 on a home in the United States, buyerscan’t always be assured that their dream house is as structurally sound as it initially seems. Countless homeowners find themselves saddled with serious structural and aesthetic issues to address over the years.

From uneven molding to a sloping backyard, there are a few key signs of serious structural issues. So before that minor problem turns your house into a major money pit, make sure you know these surprising signs there’s something wrong with your home.

 

If your doors aren’t shutting properly or are getting stuck with some frequency, don’t blame your contractor—blame your foundation. If you’re experiencing either of these issues, you may have foundation or settling issues, says Corey Fager, owner of real estate solutions company Buying Houses: Nashville.

“You’ll want to determine if your foundation is finished settling or if there are active shifts in the soil,” Fager says. “A sign of active settling or foundation shifts are new cracks in the drywall or ceiling. Settling is fairly common in a lot of areas, especially in new houses. If you see new cracks appearing or doors that are getting harder to close, you may want to call a foundation company to determine if reinforcement is needed.”

Similarly, if your windows are consistently getting stuck shut, the issue may be more than just ill-fitting panes. “If the windows don’t open, it can mean warped window frames and/or home settling, which can be expensive to fix,” says real estate investor Brian Davis, co-founder at SparkRental.com.

Feel like you’re doing a balancing act every time you go to use the bathroom? Well, that moving target toilet is no laughing matter. “A wobbly toilet or sponginess in any floor can indicate rotting sub-flooring, another expensive repair depending on the extent of the rot,” says Davis.

Having a spring in your step can be a positive thing—unless it’s your floorboards giving you that trampoline-like lift. “When you are walking in a home and the floor has a bit of bounce or give, it may indicate foundation issues,” says Nathan Outlaw, president of Onvico, Inc., a design-build firm. However, it may be more than just your foundation that needs help. “In more extreme cases, this can mean whole beams are rotten and need replacement,” says Outlaw.

It’s not always the interior condition of your home that indicates you might have a problem—even your yard can show that you have serious foundation issues. “If the land looks like it slopes toward the home, this may indicate water is getting under the foundation,” says Outlaw. “If the house has a crawlspace, you need to take a look underneath. If the home is on a slab, look for areas where the water is digging out underneath.”

Feel like you’re doing a balancing act every time you go to use the bathroom? Well, that moving target toilet is no laughing matter. “A wobbly toilet or sponginess in any floor can indicate rotting sub-flooring, another expensive repair depending on the extent of the rot,” says Davis.

Having a spring in your step can be a positive thing—unless it’s your floorboards giving you that trampoline-like lift. “When you are walking in a home and the floor has a bit of bounce or give, it may indicate foundation issues,” says Nathan Outlaw, president of Onvico, Inc., a design-build firm. However, it may be more than just your foundation that needs help. “In more extreme cases, this can mean whole beams are rotten and need replacement,” says Outlaw.

It’s not always the interior condition of your home that indicates you might have a problem—even your yard can show that you have serious foundation issues. “If the land looks like it slopes toward the home, this may indicate water is getting under the foundation,” says Outlaw. “If the house has a crawlspace, you need to take a look underneath. If the home is on a slab, look for areas where the water is digging out underneath.”

Virtually every home in the world sees a bug or two make their way inside. But persistent pestilence could be a sign something’s seriously amiss. If there is a parade of ants in your home, there are likely gaps around your windows that need to be addressed.

33 Surprising Signs There’s Something Wrong With Your House

If you’ve scrubbed every inch of your home and it still smells like stale cigarettes, the problem is likely more severe than meets the eye. “Whether you bought the house with the smoke smell or smoked in it yourself, smoke can penetrate deeper than you might think,” says Fager. “In addition to walls, ceilings, window treatments, and floors, smoke can soak into carpet padding, ductwork, insulation, studs, and even the dirt in your crawlspace,” leading to third-hand smoke exposure, a potential health hazard.

33 Surprising Signs There’s Something Wrong With Your House