Don’t consider an inspection of the home and property as a complete evaluation, but rather an evaluation of the property 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, Radon testing, pest inspections, pool inspections, water testing, energy audits, and several other specific items that may be location-specific.
Home inspections are done (less often) by a home seller before putting the property on the market to see if there are any hidden problems, 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. 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 are items that are pricey to fix, which we classify as items requiring over 1.8% of the buy price to fix.
2. Items that could lead to major flaws – a support beam that was not tied in to the structure properly, a roof leak that could grow larger, or damaged down spouts that could cause backup and water intrusion.
3. Safety hazards, such as lack of GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters), bare electrical wiring in kitchens and bathrooms, no safety railing on decks more than 30 inches off the ground, etc.
Your inspector should be able to counsel you on what to do about these areas of concern. She may recommend a formal evaluation on more matters – by licensed or certified professionals who are specialists in the defect areas. For instance, your inspector will recommend you call a licensed structural or building engineer if they find sections of the home that are misaligned, as this could indicate a major structural deficiency and one that might cost thousands of dollars to repair.
Home Inspections are only performed by a buyer when he or she signs a contract, right?
This is false! As you might find once you read on, a home inspection can be utilized for ad hoc inspections in new construction projects, as a maintenance tool with a current home owner, a proactive technique by homeowners to produce their home more sellable, and by buyers wanting to determine the problem of the potential home.
Homeowners, particularly, can benefit from finding a home inspection before listing the home. Here are just a several advantages for the homeowner:
· The homeowner knows the house! The home inspector will be able to get answers to his/her questions on the annals of any problems they find.
· A home inspection may help the homeowner be more objective in regards to setting a reasonable price on the home.
· The homeowner may take the report and allow it to be into a marketing piece for the home.
· The homeowner will be alerted to any safety issues found in the home before they open it down for open house tours.
· The homeowner could make repairs leisurely instead of being in a hurry after the contract is signed.