Don’t consider an inspection of the home 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 home can also include for extra of course Radon testing, pest inspections, pool inspections, water testing, energy audits, and many other specific items that may be location-specific.
Home inspections are used (less often) by a home seller prior to putting the property on the market to see if there are any hidden problems that they are unaware of, and also by home owners simply wishing to keep the home investment value as high as possible, care for their homes, and prevent surprises.
The following are areas that inspectors pay close attention to when inspecting your home:
1. Safety hazards, such as lack of GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters), bare electrical wiring in bathrooms and kitchens, lack of safety railing on decks above 30 inches, etc.
2. Major flaws, such as large cracks in the home’s foundation; building out of plumb or level; decks not supported or installed properly, etc. These items are pricey to fix, which are entire systems needing more than two percent of the purchase price to fix.
3. Things that could lead to major flaws – a support beam that was not tied in to the structure properly, a roof flashing leak that could get bigger, or damaged downspouts that could cause backup and water intrusion.
Your inspector will counsel you on what you should do about these issues. He may recommend an evaluation on matters – by certified and/or licensed professionals who are specialists in the defect areas. For example, your inspector may advise you phone a licensed structural or building engineer if he/she finds sections of the home that are misaligned, as this could indicate a serious structural deficiency and one that would cost thousands of dollars to fix
Home inspections are only conducted by a buyer when he or she signs a formal contract, right?
This is not true! As you will see whenever you read on, a home inspection may be used for interim inspections in new construction, as a maintenance tool with a current homeowner, a proactive technique by homeowners to produce their home more sellable, and by buyers wanting to determine the situation of the potential home.
Sellers, particularly, can take advantage of finding a home inspection before listing the home. Here are only a some of the advantages for the homeowner:
· The homeowner knows your home! The home inspector will have the ability to have answers to his/her questions on the annals of any problems they find.
· A home inspection may help the homeowner be much more objective as it pertains to setting a reasonable price on the home.
· The homeowner may take the report and allow it to be into an advertising piece for the home.
· The homeowner will soon be alerted to any safety issues found in your home before they open it up for open house tours.
· The homeowner can make repairs leisurely instead of being in a hurry following the contract is signed.