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, 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 paid for (less often) by a home seller before 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 care for their homes, prevent surprises, and keep the home investment value as high as possible
The following are areas that inspectors pay close attention to when inspecting your home:
1. Major defects, such as large differential 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 repair, which are entire systems needing over 1.8% of the buy price to fix.
2. Things that could lead to major defects – i.e. a roof leak that could grow larger, damaged downspouts that could cause backup and water intrusion, or a support beam that was not tied to the structure properly.
3. Safety hazards, such as lack of Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI), bare electrical wiring in bathrooms and kitchens, no safety railing on decks more than 30 inches off the ground, etc.
Your property inspector should be able to advise you on what you should do about these problems. He may recommend an evaluation on more issues – by certified and/or licensed professionals who are specialists in the defect areas. For instance, your inspector may recommend you call a licensed structural or building engineer if he/she finds areas of the home that are misaligned, as this could indicate a serious structural problem and one that would cost thousands of dollars to fix
Home Inspections are merely performed by a buyer when he or she signs a formal contract, right?
This isn’t true! As you will see whenever you keep reading, a home inspection can be used for ad hoc inspections in new construction, as a maintenance tool by way of a current home owner, a proactive technique by home owners to make their home more sellable, and by buyers wanting to ascertain the condition of the potential home.
Homeowners, specifically, can benefit from finding a home inspection before listing the home. Here are only a several advantages for the homeowner:
· The homeowner could make repairs leisurely instead of being in a rush following the contract is signed.
· The homeowner is going to be alerted to any safety issues found in the house before they open it up for open house tours.
· The homeowner may take the report and allow it to be into a marketing piece for the home.
· A home inspection can help the homeowner be more objective in regards to setting a fair price on the home.