Learning About Home Remodels

Most homeowners know how to figure out if their home has been damaged by water. After all, in most cases, they are home when the event takes place that causes the problem. However, as someone who is in the process of finding a home to buy, water damage can be a lot trickier to track down than you think. When you are spending only a few minutes inside a home at a time, it can be quite easy to miss signs of water damage unless you are being absolutely precise about your investigation. Here are four easy-to-miss signs of water damage every homebuyer should know. 

The house has a funky odor in some areas.

You can't always smell mildew and mold that is a result of water damage throughout the entire home, but chances are you will catch a whiff of it somewhere close to the damage. If you are walking through a house and suddenly come upon a room where you catch the odor of dank mildew, don't shrug it off if the rest of the house smells just fine.

New paint has been applied to a few places. 

Before a home goes up for sale, a homeowner will try to mask whatever visible problems could turn a buyer off, and ugly brown spots caused by previous water damage are definitely a visible problem. If you see some areas of the ceiling have a fresh coat of paint, ask questions about it. The same goes with the walls. It is highly unlikely the buyer just picked a random spot and applied new paint unless there is something to be concealed. 

There are mold lines along the baseboards. 

If excess moisture has been an issue inside a house, mildew and mold will often form in the tiniest crevices, such as along the top of the baseboards right where the material meets the wall. Carefully take note if you see darkened lines in these areas and inspect a little further by rubbing your finger along the area. If the area feels damp or you are left with a bluish-grey residue on your finger, it could easily be mildew. 

Paint around a fireplace is peeling. 

If you notice paint on the walls surrounding a fireplace is peeling, your first inclination may be to blame the heat for the problem. However, peeling paint around a fireplace is also a sign that there is a leak coming into the home around the chimney where the moisture is bleeding into the walls. 

For more information, contact local professionals like the Flood Doctor.