Tips on Purchasing a New Home from Erenay DesignBuild

購買新屋小叮嚀
I have been a California licensed contractor since 2006, and I recommend two important considerations when buying a primary residence or an investment property. Be aware that there may be unexpected extra costs or possibly features that increase the value of your property.

Most homes in our community are more than 50 years old. Ask a real estate agent about the home-inspection report prepared for the home you are planning to purchase. Review it carefully and focus on each issue, along with estimating the cost required to fix or repair those issues. You may need to contact various professionals and get quotes for the problematic areas shown in the report. Contractors may find larger issues after beginning repairs, which may cost more than you realize.

Structural defects in the foundation and framing, or possible infrastructure issues may not be identified by the inspector. Make sure to contact a trusted company for an inspection and a quote.

Secondly, I would like to warn you about illegal additions or remodels that may exist on the property. The garage might have been converted to a living space which can be exciting as an extra rental income. However, I have witnessed occasions where cities check the site and find non-permitted structures and give the homeowner two options. First, converting it back to its original structure or second, legalizing it.

If it discovers illegal additions or remodels, the city will issue a report with a mandatory correction list with a deadline. These problematic areas need to be done according to building code and industry standards. The homeowner can either legalize it with the city or demolish it. If you think parts of the house have been added later, meaning after the main house was constructed, contact the city planning department to find out the facts before the purchase. If not, this may cause a huge headache and a lot of money to fix.

Lastly, check the amount of square footage you can add onto the existing house and the size of an ADU you can build. These numbers show the potential property value.

I wish you luck on your investment.

本人自 2006 年起便為加州持有執照的承
包商，針對購買自住房屋或投資房產，這邊有
兩項建議您多加考量的重點。敬請留意，購
屋時可能會有非預期的額外費用，也可能會
有能夠提升房產價值的賣點。
本社區房屋大多數屋齡均已超過 50 年。
請向房仲詢問自身有意購買的房屋是否有房
屋檢驗報告，並仔細審查其中每一項問題，
估算修繕所需的費用。對於報告中指出的問
題區域，您可能需要聯絡各種不同的專業人
員索取報價。承包商在實際修繕後，可能會發
現更嚴重的問題，導致費用超出原先預期。
檢驗員可能無法識別出地基與結構瑕疵，或
是潛在的基礎建設問題。因此，請務必聯絡
值得信賴的公司進行檢驗與報價。
第二點，謹此提醒，房產可能存在違章增
建或改建。有些房屋的車庫可能已改建為居
住空間，這對於想要賺取租金收入的買家來
說可能相當具有吸引力。但本人曾經見過一
些事件案例，市政府在實地查驗後發現違章
建築，並給予屋主兩個選項：一是恢復原始結
構，二是辦理合法化手續。
若違章增建或改建遭到查獲，市政府將開
具附有限期強制改正清單的報告。這些問題
區域需依照建築法規及產業標準改善。屋主
可以選擇向市政府辦理合法化手續或是將其
拆除。若您懷疑房屋有後續增建的部分（即
增建時間在主要房屋建造完成後），請於購買
前聯絡都市計畫部來查證事實，否則事後可
能會帶來龐大的維修成本與困擾。
最後，請查明現有建築可增建的面積，以
及可興建的附屬住房單位 (ADU) 大小。這些
數字可呈現出潛在的房產價值。
敬祝您投資順利，財運亨通。