Are you looking for a new house to buy? Are you trying to find an easy way to tell if the house is worth your time or not? While not completely foolproof, you can get a good idea about the state of the house by checking out the garage first. If the garage passes, then you may want to consider a professional home inspection. Here are some things that you should be on the lookout for:

Squeaky garage doors: If the squeak of the garage doors opening and closing is relatively quiet, then you probably have nothing to worry about. On the other hand, if the noise level coming from the opening doors is best described as a banshee shriek, then you may want to be concerned about the rest of the house. Garage door maintenance is not a difficult process, especially if you hire a professional to take a look at the doors. If the previous homeowners haven't done that, then they may have neglected other areas of home repair as well. Faulty garage doors shouldn't completely disqualify a house, but you'll want to at least try to figure out how long the issue may have existed, potentially giving you a date as to when the owners last maintained the property.

Garage doors that don't open: Garage doors may become stuck shut for a number of reasons. One of the most common reasons is one or more broken garage door springs. If the springs snapped a long time ago, then the broken ends may be covered with dust, grease and corrosion. On the other hand, if the springs broke last week when the house was being put on the market, spring ends should be relatively shiny and new. While a broken garage door spring will need to be fixed by a professional, having it recently broken probably is not a sign of possible house trouble.

Garage cleanliness: Almost as good a barometer as squeaky garage doors, check the floor of the garage for spillage of oils, paints, and other liquids. Concrete can be difficult to wash, so it should hold a sort of summarized history of the house. If the garage floor is relatively clean, that means that the past owners were careful enough that they rarely spilled anything and that they conscientious enough to clean up any spills that did happen. Lots of oil or paint stains in the garage may be a sign that the past owners weren't as anxious about home care as you would like them to be. Ordinary spiders, dust, and even the occasional rodent dropping are usually nothing to be concerned about.

Talk to an expert, like http://shankdoor.com, for more garage door help.

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