CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Following a drop in interest rates in September, more homebuyers are expected to start shopping the already hot real estate market in the Charlotte area.
David Tintsman, owner of HomeTeam of North Charlotte, told WCNC Charlotte it is busy with inspections of new construction, as well as existing homes.
"It's an exciting time for buyers," Tintsman said. "Charlotte's a fantastic marketplace. I think it's just gonna get better, too."
Tintsman explained the majority of buyers order a home inspection as part of the buying process. Depending on the findings, buyers can negotiate a lower price, budget for later or pass on making an offer.
The home inspector said there are some simple things that homebuyers can do to help themselves when it comes to looking for a home.
First: Look at the house up close.
"After you kind of look at the house from afar, walk up and get a little bit of a closer view," he said. "Cracks can be really common in brick veneer. They happen over time. All houses move and get settled."
Water damage can be a horror story if you miss the red flags, especially on the roof. Tintsman said when checking the condition of the roof, look for lifted shingles and missing shingle tabs.
He also said to consider the windows.
"A lot of people don't want to replace them just because of the way they look and the size of them, plus they can be expensive," Tintsman said. "This might be a budget item for down the road."
When it comes to the interior, look for potential water damage.
"Are your faucets tight and secured?" Tintsman suggested as a question to ask yourself. "Good water pressure? Disposal is nice and quiet? Things like that."
He said take a peek underneath the sink and check for water dripping.
"Sometimes you'll open these up, and there'll be damage to the bottom of the cabinet, and then, we don't know if maybe there is some microbial growth like mold, mildew, fungus or something underneath there," Tintsman added. "So, it only takes a minute to take a look."
Look for the same in the bathroom, including the tiles in the bathroom.
"Water can leak down through, and if it ever gets past the membrane, you can have water damage below the shower," Tintsman said.
He said the crawl space is an important place to check the foundation and floor structure, as well as insulation.
"Sometimes, we'll get in crawl spaces, and we'll see the old, metal duct work," Tintsman said. "It might even be wrapped in asbestos-containing insulation material. Then, the other thing we want to do is we want to see if there's any water accumulating in the crawl space from recent rainstorms or anything like that. Is they're puddling?"
Tintsman recommended a thorough check of the attic should be left to the professionals.
"Once we get up in the attic, we want to things like the sheathing, which is the underside of the roof," Tintsman explained. "We want to look for water penetration and sign of signs of any kind of chronic water. We want to make sure that we have good insulation."
Contact Jane Monreal at jmonreal@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.