Noe Valley Real Estate

Image by Frank Kehren via Flickr

A large portion of recently built homes are currently receiving a lot of criticism due to badly finished, rushed work. The cracks are starting to show , and now suddenly everyone wants to have an older house because they are built better and therefore last much longer. This maybe be true , however, most people are only looking at the advantages of purchasing an older home , and aren’t taking into account the disadvantages . The most common issue you will find with properties built over twenty years ago is terrible insulation. Bad insulation inevitably leads to damp problems , and damp can have a catastrophic affect on any home – in extreme cases even endangering the building’s infrastructure.

The most likely form of damp is called rising damp. Rising damp is easy to treat if detected early, as are all forms of damp . If you do choose to buy an old house , one of the first things to check is that it’s been adequately insulated. If it has not then you must treat the problem as soon as possible . Waterproofing your home is essential if you want your house to survive as long as you do. It can be done relatively cheap and there are an abundance of companies and products online to pick from. Another thing to always watch out for when dealing with older properties is cellar damp, as a lot of older houses tend to have a cellar or basement . Cellar damp is very common and very destructive , but again it is easily treated. So if you are thinking about getting a mortgage on a a house over 20 years old, ensure that you’ve taken in to account all of the possible problems that come with older properties .

New properties will fall down because of bad builders whereas old houses will fall down because the owner hasn’t treated them right . Caring for your home is very important if you want it to last, or especially if you want to sell it.  Before you purchase a home make sure that it doesn’t have existing damp problems . Your estate agent should tell you if there are any problems , but it is probably a good idea to get an independent surveyor in for your own peace of mind.

Related articles

• 779 Elizabeth San Francisco 94114 (sfhomes411.com)
• Noe Valley’s Bacco as enticing as ever (sfgate.com)
• Possible Noe Valley Town Square Rendered Digitally (sf.curbed.com)
• Open House Report: Weekend Open House Report: Noe Valley Edition (sf.curbed.com)
• What Is Mold? (barryhillrealtors.com)
• Which reflective insulation should I installed based on my climate? (sustainableprojectmanagement.com)