The Divvy home shopping process marks an exciting and life-changing moment for you and your family: it’s a celebration of financial progress for both the present and future. This makes selecting the perfect home for you, your family, and your budget a critical step in the process not to be taken lightly.

When selecting the perfect home, you want to ensure you find a property that is well built, has been taken care of consistently over time, and does not risk becoming a financial burden to maintain in the future.

When determining the quality of home, there are a few indicators we recommend you consider.

• Roof Condition: Roofs are a particularly expensive cost that can burden a new homeowner. An individual roof repair can cost $500 or more, and a new roof can cost on average as much as $8,500 depending on the size.
• House Exterior and Siding: Much like your roof, siding and trim play a very important role in keeping your home safe and dry. A poor exterior condition can lead to leaks and moisture into your home, which again can become quite costly in the future.
• Heating & Air Conditioning: Repairs and replacements of your HVAC and AC units can become quite costly and inconvenient, especially if your unit is more than 20 years old. Look for AC units and furnaces that have been serviced regularly as they will greatly outperform units that have been neglected.
• Water Damage: Water stains and the appearance of mold are signs of larger issues. When these issues are not addressed, they will often become worse and can result in severe property damage. If you see something suspicious, be sure to ask the selling agent to ensure further inspection attention.

When viewing a prospective home, here are a few helpful questions to keep in your back pocket to ensure that the property is suitable for you in the long run.

• Does the home appear clean, presentable and move-in ready?
• Does it appear that the previous owners took consistent care to maintain all areas of the property?
• Does the home seem neglected? If so, chances are it hasn’t received adequate maintenance over time and will require a larger investment of time, labor and money to restore it into a proper condition.
• What’s my gut telling me? At the end of the day, you have to trust your first impression. We want you to find the home that you are most excited to invest your future into; this is your forever home.

Home Inspection

Once your offer is accepted, Divvy will enter into the home inspection process on your behalf. This inspection is our opportunity to identify any quality concerns and bring them to the attention of the Seller. Remember, the Divvy Maintenance budget will cover essential repairs but will not cover pre-existing defects or concerns stemming from the Inspection Report.

Your future mortgage lender may also perform a similar inspection once you have applied for a loan to buyback the home. Divvy aims to address any repairs at the initial purchase so that you will have less to worry about during the mortgage application process.

During our inspection, the Divvy inspector will be looking for aspects of the home that are in need of immediate repair or are at risk of needing repair or replacement in the future. These include:

• Life Safety
  • Smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, home egress issues (doors and windows)
• Heating and Cooling
  • Furnace and AC unit age and condition
• Structure
  • Quality of foundation, framing, crawl spaces, elevated structures such as decks, etc.
• Electrical
  • Main electrical panel, individual outlets, visible wiring.
• Plumbing
  • Kitchen and bathroom plumbing, hot water heater and active leaks
• Roof
  • Roof framing, gutter conditions, active leaks
• Exterior
  • Paint and siding/trim conditions, signs of pest damage and septic system condition if applicable.

We recommend that our prospective buyers attend the home inspection alongside your agent. As the future owner of the home, you will want to take an active role in determining the quality of the property in order to fully understand every detail about your new home. Note: inspections happen at a certain point in time, and it is not unusual to uncover other necessary repairs following move-in.

A home can be a great source of joy for you and your family, but selecting the wrong home can bring a great deal of stress on your future. Working alongside Divvy helps ensure that you set yourself up for safety, security, and happiness in your new home.

And remember, Divvy is here for you then more than just your home inspection, we are here for you throughout the whole process. If you have any questions, concerns or just want to learn more about the Divvy process; never hesitate to send us an email at hello@divvyhomes.com.