Don’t consider an inspection of the home and property as a final evaluation, but rather property evaluation on the day it is inspected, considering normal wear and tear of the home based on age and location. An inspection of the property can also include for extra of course pest inspections, pool inspections, energy audits, Radon testing, water testing, energy audits, and other specific items that may be location-specific.
Home inspections are also conducted (less often) by a seller before putting the property on the market to see if there are any hidden problems, and also by 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 close attention to during a property inspection:
1. Safety hazards, such as bare electrical wiring in kitchens and bathrooms, lack of safety railing on decks above 30 inches, lack of Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI), etc.
2. Items that could lead to major flaws – i.e., a support beam that was not tied in to the structure properly, a roof flashing leak that could get bigger, or damaged downspouts that could cause backup and water intrusion.
3. Serious flaws, such as large differential cracks in the home’s foundation; building out of plumb or level; decks not installed or supported correctly, etc. These items are expensive to fix, which we classify as systems needing over 2% of the buy price to fix.
Your property inspector should be able to counsel you on what to do about these issues. He/she may recommend a formal evaluation on issues – by licensed or certified professionals who are specialists in the defect areas. For instance, your inspector may advise 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 problem and one that would cost thousands of dollars to fix
Home Inspections are just paid for by a buyer after he or she signs an agreement, right?
This is simply not true! As you will discover 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 homeowner, a proactive technique by home owners to produce their house more sellable, and by buyers wanting to ascertain the situation of the potential home.
Sellers, particularly, can take advantage of finding a home inspection before listing the home. Here are simply a several advantages for the home owner:
· The home owner knows the home! The home inspector will have the ability to obtain answers to his/her questions on the annals of any problems they find.
· A home inspection will help the home owner be more objective as it pertains to setting a reasonable price on the home.
· The home owner can take the report and allow it to be into an advertising piece for the home.
· The home owner is going to be alerted to any safety issues found in the home before they open it up for open house tours.
· The home owner may make repairs leisurely instead of being in a hurry following the contract is signed.