Top Things to Look Out For When Inspecting A House... During The Rainy Season!

 

 

Property investors, residential or commercial are often jokingly advised to go house hunting in the rainy season and while it does sound funny, it would probably turn out be the most crucial aspect of your property investment analysis. By default, Lagos is a largely coastal area with many residential properties in close proximity to the Atlantic, coupled with the poorly planned installation of drainage throughout the city, the implication for property investors could be detrimental and eventually diminish the return on investment through the yearly maintenance and repairs that follow the three month long rainy season.

While some areas are prone to heavier flooding than others, it is better for prospective property owners to have a rounded experience of the property at its best, during the dry season and at its worst during and after the rainy season before committing. Checking that the road itself and access routes to the road are not too flooded after a period of heavy rainfall should also be factored into property appraisal and valuation.

The same due diligence for checking and appraising the exterior and surrounding areas for floods, should go into checking how structurally sound the property in question is to identify potential interior defects… structure, structure, structure! Looking out for damp, tell-tale signs of marks from previous flooding and leakages that may allow small streams of water trickle to electric switches and appliances. From our experience in remedying some projects after the rainy season, we have had quite extreme cases of roof uprooting, POP falling and so on after a heavy bout of rainfall.

If however, you find your dream home and it is in a flood prone area, do not despair. Some homeowners do not mind having to tolerate flooding for a few weeks every year and switch their regular saloon cars for an SUV or their court shoes for wellington boots. Either way, what many fail to realise is that in cases where flooding is as a result of blockages or other rectifiable drainage problems there are options to resolve them given the right amount of pro-activity.

Inspection during the rainy season should be carried out with experienced professionals to ensure safety on site premises and assistance in identifying a properties strengths and flaws during the rainy season. As an added service, RE/MAX Nigeria works with property investors to get a comprehensive investment appraisal which in most cases entails inspection during the rainy season, call our hotline 0700-GO-REMAX to find out how we can take your decision to buy one step further!