Questions to ask before buying a house

Real estate is heating up as spring rolls in, and those for sale signs are cropping up in neighborhoods across the country. While those houses are occupied by some very lovely people, if you're going out house hunting this spring, remember that there are things in every home a seller wouldn't want a potential buyer to know about. It's your job to get them to tell you about those things. Here are a few questions you need to ask the seller before you buy a home.

Is this a slab foundation, and if so, has it cracked yet?

It's okay to get this one out of the way quickly and directly. Slab foundations break when the soil under your house slowly and inevitably erodes away. If one side of your new house is sinking, and suddenly the doors stop closing all the way, you may be left feeling like you'd have been better off knowing this before you bought the house.

How old is the roof?

If there are water spots on the ceiling, there's a pretty good chance they've been painted over recently. A roof can cost into the tens of thousands of dollars, so you won't be wanting to have to put a new one on a year after you've bought your house.

Why are you selling?

Your seller may balk at this question. There are plenty of would be real estate investors out there looking for a "motivated seller", but you have a right to make the most informed decision possible, so uncomfortable questions are not a taboo in real estate.

You don't have to be buying a big home to get down to the details about your new abode. Even when buying a small home, asking the right questions is the key to success.