If your Fremont home has wood and brick on the exterior, you should be careful before committing to the purchase. Wood is a beautiful material, particularly when it is used on the exterior of a home in Fremont. It's a wonder that wood isn't used more when compared to stucco and other materials. However wood's downfall is that it simply doesn't hold up as well as manmade materials in Fremont homes. If the home you are looking to purchase was built with a heavy emphasis on exterior wood siding, trim and so on, here are several things to watch out for.

1. Looks can be deceiving - One thing that people rarely take into consideration is that the appearance of wood has almost no relevance to the condition. All too often a perfectly good looking piece of wood trim may be infested with termites or rotting from the back side and you will never know by just glancing at it. You should never trust only your eyes while inspecting wood exteriors.

2. Rot is not always visible - Degradation is one of the biggest issues dealing with wood. Make absolutely sure that you physically touch the wood when looking at particular areas. You are far better off giving the wood a fairly good poke with your finger than slightly touching it. The reason for doing so is to feel for soft areas. Soft areas are indications of rot in some form or another. Finding rot in one area generally leads to finding rot throughout the structure. To put it simply, you may want to start looking at other homes on your list.

3. You need more than a visual inspection - Finding soft spots in wood can be frightening, but there is something worse. You might want to run for the car if you squeeze a piece of wood and bits begin to fall off. This type of damage is often a sign of a termite infestation. Termite problems should be a huge red flag for any prospective home around Fremont. If you purchase a house with a termite infestation you might have to tent it to kill all the bugs. Afterwards, you will have to pay for an inspection and repairs from the damage. You will be buying an expensive nightmare. Make no mistake, wood can be very attractive on the exterior of a home in Fremont. Just make sure you don't rely solely on a visual inspection of it when deciding on the merits of the house.

Thank you for taking the time to read the information I have made available to you.  If you are considering buying or selling property, planning to relocate, looking for Fremont homes for sale, or looking for any other information about real estate in the Fremont real estate market, or the surrounding areas, please visit the most complete website dedicated to everything real estate related www.ClydeBrownHomes.com.

If you or someone you know are in need of a competent and experienced Bay Area Realtor, or have real estate or mortgage related questions, please feel free to contact me I will be more than glad to answer your questions. Call me at 800-839-0665 or email me at Clyde@ClydeBrownHomes.com. For all your East Bay cities needs including Fremont, Newark, Union City, Hayward, Oakland, Santa Clara, Milpitas, Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton, and San Ramon. Clyde Brown Legacy Real Estate & Associates.