Now is a great time to buy a second home, retirement home, or rental property in most cities across the country. Prices have never been better.

With low prices come some challenges that you should be aware of. Many of the houses available, even in the best neighborhoods, are foreclosed properties. If the property is foreclosed, there are several factors that must be considered in the decision to purchase.

1. Is there damage to the house that is not evident by visual inspection? Many homeowners gave up on home maintenance during the foreclosure process and, in some cases, may have purposely damaged some home systems before leaving. Major examples of non-visible damage include water damage causing mold inside the walls, furnaces and air conditioners that don’t work properly, and sewer lines plugged or plugged on purpose before you vacate the home. There are stories of homeowners emptying bathrooms and other drains pouring concrete before they leave. Solution: Bring a qualified inspector before you buy to check all systems for damage due to vacating the home or intentional damage by the owner of the vacated home.
2. Is the landscaping, including grass, trees and shrubs, salvageable? In most cases, the water was turned off when you vacated the property. Neither the owner nor the executing bank will make the water payments, so the sprinkler or drip systems do not work. If the garden hasn’t been watered for months or years, it probably needs to be replaced. Solution: Hire a licensed landscaper to inspect the property before you buy it. Ask the landscaper to recommend low-cost alternatives to previous landscaping, such as grass. With higher prices on water, it’s generally cheaper in the long run to replace dead grass with landscaping stone that doesn’t require watering year-round.
3. Have pest control services been maintained at the property? Like water, there is usually no pest control service on the property after it is vacated. Depending on the area, there may be some unique pest control issues that, if left unchecked over a period of months or years, can make the home uninhabitable until proper solutions are put in place. Take Las Vegas NV for example. Native to the Las Vegas Valley are scorpions, ants, cockroaches, crickets, mice, rats, rattlesnakes and more. Bats, Africanized bees, bugs and pigeons are increasing their presence in the valley. Solution: Hire a local licensed pest control contractor to do a thorough property assessment. Make sure they check for all of the pests and wildlife listed above, and if they find them, fix the problems using proven green approaches like the following:
• Bats: Remove all bats from rafters they have been using to roost, clean up any accumulated feces, and cover any openings large enough for bats to re-enter.
• Pigeons: Pigeons were scared away or trapped, relocated and the area where they were sleeping was cleaned up, then nets, spikes or other exclusion coins were placed to ensure they do not return.
• Rattlesnakes – Rattlesnakes are native to many areas of the desert Southwest, popular for retirement. If the house is on the edges of populated areas, they may have moved into the courtyard, fountains, or outbuildings. A certified wildlife management expert is trained to trap the rattlesnake and relocate it to non-urban areas where it does not pose a threat.
• Roof rats: Roof rats, or black rats, can gain access to the attic by hanging branches or other means when the garden has been left unattended for long periods of time. Roof rats are trapped and removed, and then overhanging branches or other means of access are removed.

The real estate agent you are dealing with can recommend licensed inspectors for home inspections to ensure all systems are working. Similarly, the real estate agent may recommend a licensed landscape contractor for recommendations on landscaping restoration or replacement.