Don’t consider an inspection of the home and property as a complete evaluation, but rather property evaluation on the day it is inspected, taking into account normal wear and tear of the home based on age and location. An inspection of the home can also include, for extra fees, pool inspections, water testing, Radon gas testing, pest inspections, energy audits, and many other specific items that may be location-specific.
Home inspections are conducted (less often) by a homeseller prior to listing the property to see if there are any hidden problems that they are unaware of, 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 areas that inspectors pay close attention to when inspecting your home:
1. Serious flaws, such as large differential cracks in the home’s foundation; building out of level or plumb; decks not installed or supported correctly, etc. These are items that are costly to repair, which we classify as systems requiring more than 2% of the buy price to fix.
2. Items that could lead to major flaws – i.e. a roof flashing leak that could get bigger, damaged down spouts that could cause backup and water intrusion, or a beam that was not tied in to the structure properly.
3. Safety hazards, such as bare 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 be able to advise you about what to do about these areas of concern. She may recommend an evaluation on more issues – by certified and/or licensed professionals who are specialists in the defect areas. For example, your inspector may recommend you call a licensed building engineer if they find sections of the home that are out of alignment, as this could indicate a major structural deficiency.
Home Inspections are only done by a buyer after he or she signs an agreement, right?
This isn’t true! As you might find once you continue reading, a home inspection can be utilized for interim inspections in new construction, as a maintenance tool with a current homeowner, a proactive technique by sellers to make their house more sellable, and by buyers wanting to ascertain the problem of the potential home.
Home owners, in particular, can benefit from finding a home inspection before listing the home. Here are simply a some of the advantages for the homeowner:
· The homeowner may make repairs leisurely instead of being in a rush after the contract is signed.
· The homeowner will be alerted to any safety issues found in the home before they open it down for open house tours.
· The homeowner can take the report and ensure it is into an advertising piece for the home.
· A home inspection will help the homeowner become more objective when it comes to setting a good price on the home.