Don’t consider an inspection of the home and property as an exhaustive evaluation, but rather property evaluation at this point in time, taking into account normal wear and tear of the home based on age and location. A home inspection can also include for extra, pest inspections, pool inspections, energy audits, Radon testing, water testing, energy audits, and many other specific items that may be location-specific.
Home inspections are also done (less often) by a seller prior to putting the property on the market to see if there are any hidden problems, and also by home owners simply wishing to prevent surprises, and keep the home investment value high, and care for their homes.
The following are aspects that inspectors pay close attention to during an inspection:
1. Major defects, such as large cracks in the home’s foundation; structure out of level or plumb; decks not installed or supported properly, and others. These items are pricey to repair, which are entire systems requiring more than two percent of the buy price to fix.
2. Items that could lead to serious defects – i.e., damaged down spouts that could cause backup and water intrusion, a roof leak that could grow larger, or a support beam that was not tied to the structure properly.
3. Safety hazards, such as exposed electrical wiring in kitchens and bathrooms, lack of safety railing on decks above 30 inches, lack of GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters), etc.
Your inspector should advise you on what to do about these areas of concern. He may recommend a formal evaluation on more issues – by licensed or certified professionals who are specialists in the problem areas. For instance, your inspector will recommend you phone a licensed building engineer if he/she finds areas of the home that are misaligned, as this could indicate a serious structural deficiency.
Home Inspections are just performed by a buyer after they sign a contract, right?
This is patently false! As you might find whenever you read on, a home inspection can be used for interim inspections in new construction, as a maintenance tool by a current home owner, a proactive technique by homeowners to make their property more sellable, and by buyers wanting to find out the situation of the potential home.
Home owners, in particular, can benefit from finding a home inspection before listing the home. Here are only a few of the advantages for the home owner:
· The home owner knows your home! The home inspector will be able to have answers to his/her questions on the annals of any problems they find.
· A home inspection can help the home owner be much more objective in regards to setting a fair price on the home.
· The home owner usually takes the report and ensure it is into a marketing piece for the home.
· The home owner is likely to be alerted to any safety issues found in the house before they open it up for open house tours.
· The home owner will make repairs leisurely instead of being in a rush following the contract is signed.