There’s no doubt about it that looking to purchase a home is a rough pursuit that’s full of surprises and let downs, and it’s sometimes easy to think that you’d be really lucky jut to find an affordable house that you could see yourself living in. Some people think that when they do find a reasonable house that they should purchase it right away because there is pressure on them to get it before someone else, but that’s not necessarily true at all.

You should always do your homework before you make any deposit, and if you have some of the following warning signs in mind when you are checking out a listing you’ll actually get to your dream home much faster in the long run. These warning signs don't necessarily include certain flaws that a lot of listings have like bad paint jobs and outdated appliances, but of course everyone should have some deal breakers when it comes to things you simply can’t overlook.

Deal Breaker #1: Roofs

This is something that you should be asking when you check out a listing, especially because it’s something that could easily be overlooked during this part of the home shopping process. A good roof is going to last at least 30 years, but on the other hand a poorly designed roof can wreck havoc on a home that can really make it unsalvageable. You should always be asking sellers about the age of the roof, and you should also inspect gutter systems just to make sure that the water flow is working properly.

Another good thing to consider is getting a roofer to do an inspection. If the seller has already conducted an inspection then you should review that inspection. But for the most part a qualified real estate agent is going to help you go through this part of the process. And remember this problem can cost anywhere from $10-30,000 so it’s always something that you should be conscious of when home shopping.

Deal Breaker #2: Flood Zones

Rain and the unpredictable nature of the environment in recent years has left a lot of homes that are near an ocean or river at risk of serious flooding in many parts of the country. You should always be well-aware of any home for sale that’s in a high-risk flood zone. These homes will always require a big insurance hike and even more difficulty getting rid of it if you decide to sell later on.

You can always look up the house’s address on FEMAS database or go to a municipality building to look up flood zones. An agent or seller should be able to provide you with this information, but like we said it’s rough out there and sometimes they’ll withhold this information until they really have to tell you, which can leave you in a bind in some cases.

Deal Breaker #3: Plumbing

The guts of any house is always its plumbing, and that makes it a vital aspect of how the entirety of the home functions, and whether it’s worth buying or not. Some signs of leaks can be sagging floors, water stains and other points of evidence you should always be aware of when looking through a home.

But of course there are other plumbing problems that aren’t as noticeable at all, like with septic tanks or sewer lines. Bountiful Plumber is one of our trusted sources in all things plumbing, and they say to run water in the bathrooms in kitchen when you’re looking through a home, and that you should also flush the toilets. You’re going to want to focus on water pressure and flushing because these can be signs that there is a deeper plumbing issue waiting for the next owner of a home.

Deal Breaker #4: The Upgrade Factor

A lot of people will think they can purchase a home with an idea to add on to it later down the road through an addition or renovation, but you need to make sure that these plans are really possible within the scopes of the property and other zoning restrictions you may have in your neighborhood.

Some things you can do to look this up are go to a local municipality and ask about any kind of restrictions on renovations. Of course your agent or seller should know this information, but laws change and it’s sometimes best to go straight to the source to get the most updated information.

So when it comes down to it if a home doesn’t have the type of renovation potential that you’re looking for then you’re probably best off walking away.

Deal Breaker #5: Electrical Systems

This is especially something that you should be looking for when it comes to older homes, because in the end it can create some pretty big problems for the next home owner. A good rule of thumb is that if the electrical system hasn’t been updated in at least 20 years then there’s a good chance that it’s a fire hazard. This is the case in a lot more listings than you would maybe suppose.

This type of replacement is not cheap at all, and it ends up costing the next homeowner in a lot of different cases. A good way to check on this kind of issue is to look through the home’s main fuse box and just make sure it’s looking like it’s working properly. The best thing you can do is to get an electrician do an inspection, but a lot of times that requires being under contract.

Sometimes you can ask for a price reduction in the house if there is proof that the electrical costs are going to end up being significant, and other things you can do is negotiate a closing cost for the repair work for the seller to be accountable for.

Deal Breaker #6: House History

This can be an entire Pandora’s box of issues, but you are always going to want to know as many details as possible about what has happened at a listing you like. All of the previous deal breakers pretty much fall into this category, but there are also some other aspects of a home’s history that everyone needs to take into consideration.

You should always ask about past repairs and why they happened. It’s always good to also look through the disclosure packet as well, and do this seriously. Of course a lot of sellers may not go into that many details in their disclosure packets, and in these cases you’re going to have to do your own probing. The main thing here is that you shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions to the sellers and agents because everything ultimately is negotiable if you can come to terms, but you’ll need the right leverage in order to do so.