Tips When Buying a Container Home
Current budget oriented and eco-conscious home buyers are turning to shipping containers that are converted into houses. Strong, durable, and cheap to assemble and acquire, the containers are gaining in popularity as an alternative to the traditional but costly concrete or steel homes.
Some consumers who are aware of the benefits of using shipping containers as houses do not want to go through the trouble of buying, shipping, and assembling shipping containers—they prefer acquiring containers that were custom made or already built. Any good buy is a risk worth looking into and a buyer must know what to check out when purchasing container homes for sale. The following are tips for potential home buyers:
1. Location
Customized for delivery or already existing, it is very important that container homes for sale should be installed or established in a safe place. The buyer must check if the surroundings are prone to floods, landslides, or large-scale forest fires.
Shipping containers are known to create a howling noise when exposed to gusts of wind. Home buyers should either consider locating in less windy sites or install shades, shutters, or enclosures.
2. Reputable Sellers and Acceptable Records
Trust is key when acquiring a customized or existing container home. Before dealing with home sellers or dealers, a buyer must check their background by asking for documents such as property titles, license to sell, and registry in any local or national, private or public organization.
Also, records concerning the history of the container must be examined for:
- Manufacturer
- Date and place of purchase
- Length of time used as a cargo transport before purchase
- Types of cargo transported
- Date and place of inspection prior to and after modification
- Clearance for safety
3. Design, Functionality, and Practicality
The design of the container home would depend on the consumer’s taste—from the simple one-container home to the most elegant, stacked townhouse or apartment-style structure.
Functionality and practicality when choosing a container home would depend on the buyer’s lifestyle and family members he or she intends to live with. An artist living alone might choose a single, studio-type container with edgy designs compared to a family of four who might prefer a two or three floor home, with one or two-tone paint.
4. The Exterior
Customized or existing, the container home be should be inspected for the following:
- Small or large dents
- Generally straight side or edges
- Small or large patches of flaky rust or corrosion
- Leaks on the sides or roof
- Signs of large-scale rusts or leaks would certainly lead to a questionable purchase of the house.
5. The Interior
The inside of a container home should be thoroughly inspected for this is where the buyer will spend most of his or her time. The inside should be checked for:
- Enough headroom (available if the house was made from high cube containers which are a foot more in height compared to the standard eight-feet shipping container)
- Odor from molds or toxic chemicals
- Leaks
- Holes or cracks in the wooden floor
- Rust or corrosion stains on walls, ceilings, and carpet
- Moisture on walls, ceiling, or floors
- Extra support beams if large windows and doors or other openings are installed
- Doors that swing in and out properly
- The presence of noticeable leaks, holes, moisture or sickening odors are warning signs that the house might not be a good buy.
If the house has passed inspection, the consumer should always negotiate for a reasonable price. Keep in mind that the posted price is almost never final. Container homes for sale are becoming a lot more common, and the seller is as motivated to make a sale as the buyer wants to buy.
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