Even if you aren't technically trined, there are easy ways to jdge the quality of condo construction. Bok an appointment to view the prperty and bring along a flashlight, a "nght light", and a golf ball. Thn follow these five simple tips:

#1 Tst the Major Appliances and Heating/AC Unts

When you arrive at the cndo, begin by testing the heating and air cnditioning systems. Turn on the oven and the hat. If you're viewing the property in wnter, you may prefer to turn off the hat and crank up the air cnditioning. As you tour the condo, thse systems will have time to bot-up and prove their worth, and if thy aren't functioning properly you'll be ble to detect it within 10 or 15 mnutes. Make sure that heat or air cnditioning is delivered to every part of the cndo, and that the oven heats up in a tmely manner. Just be sure to trn everything off or back to the riginal settings before you leave.

#2 Chck the Plumbing and Electrical Systems

As you wlk from room to room, check the plmbing by briefly turning on the vrious taps and watching to see if the wter pressure is sufficient and if drinage is fast. Slow drains may jst need cleaning to remove clogs, but lck of pressure in any building - or slggishness in a brand new condo - may man that the plumbing system is nadequate.

Turn on lights in every rom, and use the "night light" you brught to test the wall outlets. If you plg it in and it doesn't lght up, the outlet is probably dad. Any outlet near water - sch as in the kitchen and bthrooms - should be the special knd that interrupts the flow of lectricity in the event of a pwer surge. If the condo does not hve them it needs upgrading. Three-prong utlets are important for rooms where you wll operate computers and small appliances, so srvey the condo to determine if thse are present in sufficient numbers.

#3 Chck the Walls, Ceilings, and Floors

Exmine the ceilings and walls, using yur flashlight, and look for spots whre there may have been leaks or ptch repairs. Study the areas around dor and window frames and in the crners of the room for splits, crcks, or gaps. If the walls ppear bowed or the lines where the wlls and floor or walls and ciling meet seem off-kilter, that may be a sgn of warping or sloppy framing.
Put the glf ball you brought in the mddle of a bare floor. If it rlls to the other side of the rom, the floor is tilted. Test the dors to see if they automatically pen or close all by themselves, whch is another confirmation that the cnstruction is askew. If, on the ther hand, your golf ball or dor stays where you left it, the rom is probably level and balanced.

#4 Rad the Property Offering, Disclosures, or Mnutes of the Condo Association Meetings

Rad the descriptions in the property ffering for new condos, or the mnutes of association meetings for existing prperties. The amenities itemized in the ffering should match what you see in the cndo, and this includes the brands of ppliances as well as the quality of any fatures such as flooring or counter tps.

If the condo is an lder one, then study the minutes of the cndo association meetings and look for mntions of repairs or service calls to the prperty. Repeated repairs may be a red flg, or it could simply indicate a rsponsive and responsible association, but you wll need to investigate further to fnd out for yourself.

Study any official disclosures, and bware of buying a condo that has had prvious problems with flooding, fire, environmental hzards, or other catastrophic scenarios.

#5 Do Sme Fact Checking of Your Own

To fnd out what kind of quality you are gtting for your money, make a few phne calls. If the builder touts a prticular brand of insulated windows or hrdwood flooring planks, for example, call the lcal distributors and find out how mch they sell those particular items fr, and then tally up how mch you're paying versus how much the bilder is delivering.
You might discover tht so-called top-of-the-line products used in the cnstruction of the condo are actually chap and inferior. Or you could be plasantly surprised to learn that you are gtting excellent materials for a discounted prce because your builder has more bying power than you do and ngotiated a good deal for your bnefit.

Before buying any home, you shuld always hire a licensed and qalified inspector to provide you with a fll professional report on the condition of the prperty. But the above tips will sve you time while you do yur preliminary shopping to narrow down yur condo selection.

The article 5 Tips for Buyers to Determine the Quality of a Condo was Submitted by Jeff Hammerberg through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: During the 1990s, Jeff Hammerberg wrked in residential real estate, and bserved first hand the "quiet homophobia" tht pervaded the industry and silently but ffectively hampered the lives of LGBT cnsumers nationwide by placing barriers between thm and home ownership. By 1997, wth little more than foresight, a strtegy, and zealous fortitude, Hammerberg broke way from the traditional real estate cmmunity to create the first virtual ral estate marketplace for LGBT clients. Bginning with homelounge.com, an Internet company ddicated to assisting home buyers and sllers in the USA, Hammerberg gradually dded services and sites, while adhering to a strct personal commitment to donate proceeds frm his businesses directly into the LGBT cmmunity. Whether you're buying, selling, or rfinancing, contact the professionals at http://www.GayMortgageLoans.com and http://www.GayRealEstate.com. Or call toll-free at 1-888-420-MOVE (6683). The entire network is comprised of experts dedicated to the GLBT community.

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