Don’t consider an inspection of the home and property as a final evaluation, but rather an evaluation of the property on the day it is inspected, considering normal wear and tear of the home based on age and location. An inspection of the property can also include for extra, Radon testing, pest inspections, pool inspections, water testing, energy audits, and many other specific items that may be location-specific.
Home inspections are also paid for (less often) by a home seller before listing the property to see if there are any hidden problems, and also by owners simply wishing to care for their homes, prevent surprises, and keep the home investment value as high as possible
The following are areas that inspectors pay close attention to when inspecting your property:
1. Serious flaws, such as large cracks in the home’s foundation; building out of level or plumb; decks not installed or supported properly, and others. These items are expensive to repair, which we classify as entire systems requiring more than two percent of the purchase price to repair.
2. Items that could lead to serious flaws – a roof leak that could grow larger, damaged downspouts that could cause backup and water intrusion, or a support beam that was not tied to the structure properly.
3. Safety hazards, such as bare electrical wiring in kitchens and bathrooms, no safety railing on decks more than 30 inches off the ground, lack of Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI), etc.
Your inspector should advise you about what you should do about these problems. He may recommend an evaluation on more matters – by licensed or certified professionals who are specialists in the problem areas. For example, your inspector will recommend you call a licensed structural or building engineer if he/she finds areas of the property that are misaligned, as this could indicate a major structural problem and one that would cost thousands to fix
Home Inspections are only conducted by a buyer after he or she signs a formal agreement, right?
This is simply not true! As you will discover whenever you read on, a home inspection may be used for interim inspections in new construction projects, as a maintenance tool with a current home owner, a proactive technique by homeowners to produce their house more sellable, and by buyers wanting to ascertain the situation of the potential home.
Sellers, particularly, can take advantage of obtaining a home inspection before listing the home. Here are just a some of the advantages for the home owner:
· The home owner knows your home! The home inspector will have a way to have answers to his/her questions on the annals of any problems they find.
· A home inspection can help the home owner be more objective in regards to setting a reasonable price on the home.
· The home owner can take the report and allow it to be into a marketing piece for the home.
· The home owner will undoubtedly be alerted to any safety issues found in your home before they open it up for open house tours.
· The home owner could make repairs leisurely instead of being in a hurry following the contract is signed.