Don’t consider a home inspection as a final 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. A home inspection can also include for a little extra of course, Radon gas testing, water testing, energy audits, pest inspections, pool inspections and other specific items that may be location-specific.
Home inspections are also used (less often) by a homeseller 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 wanting to care for their homes, prevent surprises, and keep the home investment value as high as possible
The following are aspects that inspectors pay attention to during a home inspection:
1. Safety hazards, such as no safety railing on decks above 30 inches, lack of Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI), bare electrical wiring in kitchens and bathrooms, etc.
2. Serious defects, such as large differential cracks in the foundation; structure out of plumb or level; decks not supported or installed correctly, and others. These items are costly to fix, which are systems needing over 2% of the buy price to fix.
3. Things that could lead to major defects – i.e., damaged down spouts that could cause backup and water intrusion, a roof flashing leak that could grow larger, or a beam that was not tied in to the structure properly.
Your home inspector will advise you about what to do about these issues. He may recommend an evaluation on more matters – by licensed or certified professionals who specialize in the defect areas. For example, your inspector may recommend you call a licensed structural or building engineer if he/she finds sections of the home that are out of alignment, as this could indicate a serious structural deficiency.
Home inspections are just performed by a buyer after he or she signs a formal contract, right?
This is simply not true! As you will discover when you read on, a home inspection may be used for ad hoc inspections in new construction projects, as a maintenance tool with a current homeowner, a proactive technique by homeowners to create their property more sellable, and by buyers wanting to ascertain the condition of the potential home.
Sellers, in particular, can take advantage of obtaining a home inspection before listing the home. Here are simply a some of the advantages for the seller:
· The seller will make repairs leisurely instead of being in a hurry following the contract is signed.
· The seller will undoubtedly be alerted to any safety issues found in the home before they open it down for open house tours.
· The seller usually takes the report and allow it to be into an advertising piece for the home.
· A home inspection may help the seller become more objective in regards to setting a reasonable price on the home.