Don’t consider a home inspection 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 a little extra of course, pest inspections, pool inspections, energy audits, Radon testing, water testing, energy audits, and several 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. Safety hazards, such as bare wiring in kitchens and bathrooms, lack of safety railing on decks more than 30 inches off the ground, lack of GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters), etc.
2. Items that could lead to serious flaws – a beam that was not tied in to the structure properly, a roof leak that could grow, or damaged down spouts that could cause backup and water intrusion.
3. Major flaws, such as large cracks in the home’s foundation; structure out of plumb or level; decks not supported or installed properly, etc. These are items that are costly to repair, which we classify as items requiring more than two percent of the buy price to fix.
Your property inspector should counsel you about what you should do about these issues. He/she may recommend an evaluation on issues – by certified and/or licensed professionals who specialize in the defect areas. For example, your inspector will recommend you phone a licensed building engineer if he/she finds areas of the home that are out of alignment, as this could indicate a serious structural deficiency.
Home inspections are merely conducted by a buyer after they sign a formal contract, right?
This is not true! As you will see once you read on, a home inspection can be used for ad hoc inspections in new construction projects, as a maintenance tool by way of a current home owner, a proactive technique by sellers to make their property more sellable, and by buyers wanting to determine the situation of the potential home.
Sellers, in particular, can take advantage of finding a home inspection before listing the home. Here are only a several advantages for the seller:
· The seller knows your home! The home inspector will have the ability to have answers to his/her questions on the history of any problems they find.
· A home inspection will help the seller be more objective in regards to setting a reasonable price on the home.
· The seller usually takes the report and ensure it is into a marketing piece for the home.
· The seller is going to be alerted to any safety issues found in your home before they open it down for open house tours.
· The seller can make repairs leisurely instead of being in a hurry after the contract is signed.