If there are people
• lots of trash and paper, especially in the attic.
• plumbing, electrical fixtures removed, garage door openers.
• gratuitous vandalism.
• damage to interior.
• sabotage - shrimp in the furnace, drywall mud in drains.
• stolen everything - circuit breakers.

Visits from neighbors
• cabinet doors and drawers.
• interior doors.
• plumbing and electrical fixtures.
• dishwasher, water heater etc.

If in the lenders possession very long
• probably trashed out and yard mowed.
• may have had some repairs done (HUD/VA) roof, pool cover.

Bottom line is advanced deferred maintenance
• houses need to be maintained, we leave them out in weather.
• nothing good ever happened to a vacant property.
• lack of maintenance brings certain predictable challenges - let’s look.

Roof
• may be breached - then the fun begins.
• ceilings, floors and then framing.

Plumbing
• drains traps dry out, sewer gas comes in.
• washers leak after water back on 3 days.
• risers blow out.
• gas lines leak like crazy after disconnect - replace lines.
• drip meter tells the story.
• no gas meter means gas test.
• grease down the drains turns to rock.
• look also for evidence of overflow from cleanouts.
• aerators clogged.
• missing fixtures and pipes.

Electrical
• missing fixtures.
• missing breakers.
• homeowner wiring, what did they do to you?

HVAC
• look in the attic to see if the equipment is still there.
• missing thermostat.
•
Pools and spas
• the range of colors.
• leaky or stolen equipment.

Critters
• termites.
• rats and mice - not if there is no food.

Vegetation
• can over grow the house.
• takes time to turn yellow grass into a lawn.

Foundation
• same as usual - earth separating from the slab.
• piers pushed into the ground.

Windows
• may have some considerable glass to replace.
• wood sash rots out.
• boarded up? - save the plywood for attic deck.


You make your money when you buy, not when you sell.
can be very good properties.
can bite you on the butt, too.

Remember these guidelines and make yourself prone to success.



Kevin Smith
Forward Assist Inspections
(713)858-1330
Texas Real Estate License #3234