Wood is an exceptionally beautiful material, especially when it is part of the exterior of a home. Unfortunately, while visually appealing, wood simply isn’t as durable as other man made materials. If you are considering a house with a lot of wood features, fixtures and trim, you’ll have to check for signs.

First of all, looks can deceive. What wood looks like has nothing to do with the condition. A perfectly beautiful piece of wood trim may hide termites or actually be rotting beneath its lacquered surface.

Instead, you’ve got to watch out for degradation. One way to do this is to physically touch the wood. In fact, instead of using your eyes, you are probably going to get a more accurate assessment if you give it a good poke with a finger. Check for soft areas. Soft areas are a sign of rot in one form or another. Now if you spot a sign of rotting wood in one part of the house, then immediately check all the other areas. You should more or less assume that you will find rot throughout the structure. This may be a sign that you should start looking at other homes!

But soft spots in wood isn’t the worst of the problems you can find. Be very alarmed if when you poke or squeeze a piece of wood, it crumbles in your hands, and dust or even large pieces of it fall off. This is a sign of termites, a definite danger sign for any prospective home. If you purchase the house, you wil have to invest in hiring professionals who will kill the bugs. You may even need to call in inspectors to look at the damage that the termites have left. It’s very expensive!

So don’t just fall for the speech that the house is made of old antique wood and that you should consider yourself lucky to buy such an heirloom. While wooden homes are indeed very beautiful, you have to ask yourself if you’re willing to do the repairs and inspections. It’s also a reminder that you should never just rely on a visual inspection of it when deciding on the merits of the house.