One of the biggest problems that you can run into when you are buying an older home is water damage, mostly because water damage can lead to all kinds of other problems, such as mold development or rotting support beams. These issues can result in a lot of expensive repairs if you do not discover them until after you have purchased the home. Listed below are three things to look for when buying an older home that can help you find signs of water damage.

Smell

One of the most reliable ways to find water damage in a home is to pay attention to any odd smells. In many cases, mold and mildew will develop when there has been water damage, which can cause a foul or musty odor. Now, if you are looking at older homes it may be harder to detect these odors as older homes are often musty-smelling at first, but if the musty smell is noticeably stronger or worse in a particular room then that can often be a sign of water damage.

Crumbling

Another way to find signs of potential water damage when buying an older house is to look very closely at the window sills and frames in every room of the house. If you see that the wood is starting to crumble or feels weak when you apply pressure, then this can be a sign that water has seeped into the window frames from the outside or due to a leak in the house. In addition, you will want to look for the same crumbling with the house's baseboards or crown molding as those are also very susceptible to damage from a water leak in the house. 

Paint

Finally, you will want to make sure that you pay very close attention to the walls and ceiling throughout the house to see if there are patches of fresh paint. The reason that this can be a sign of water damage is that the sellers of the home may have decided to simply cover up water stains or other signs of water damage rather than actually fixing them before selling the house. Patches of fresh paint are a good indicator that something may be being covered up as it is unlikely that a homeowner will choose to simply paint a single section of the wall or ceiling in one area of the house and leave the rest of the house unpainted.

Contact a water damage restoration specialist like Fire & Flood Services Inc in order to discuss what you should look for in order to determine if a house that you are considering purchasing has sustained water damage or to schedule an inspection by their experts. A foul smell, crumbling wood, and patches of new paint can all be signs of water damage in an older home.