Ahh, home inspections: a time of high emotion, low patience, and maybe even some surprises. Although home inspections aren’t something you need to be thinking of consistently, they are something you should strongly consider before purchasing a home.
Home inspections are a perfect way to get an overall analysis of a home’s physical structure and internal systems from the roof to the foundation, and more.
What To Expect From A Home Inspection
During a home inspection, you can expect an overview of multiple different areas of your home spanning from the exterior, interior, bathrooms, kitchens, attics, and finally the basement. These areas and the items included in them are looked at along with the conditions of them being documented and photographed on a computerized narrative report.
This service normally takes around 2-3 hours to complete and at the end you, and your realtor will have the full report detailed out and pictures to provide additional support. It might seem like a small amount of time, but it can prevent a lot of headaches down the road with the multiple steps and precautions taken.
Review Of Property Disclosure
Before the home inspection takes place, the seller’s property disclosures should be reviewed to disclose any defects that the seller is aware of. It is important to understand how those defects could negatively impact the home’s current value.
The property disclosure is a critical report that you and your realtor will use later in the process to help judge what repairs you request be done by the seller before the transaction is complete.
What Home Inspectors Will Look For
Home inspectors cover a lot of ground while completing a home inspection as they want to be sure that there are not any defects that were not listed on the seller’s property disclosure. Starting with the exterior and the basic structure outside of the home, they will look at areas such as driveways, sidewalks, decks, doors, roofing, grade, and many more.
Inside the house, home inspectors will identify, and search to find any items in the home that are not working correctly and may need repair. All plumbing fixtures will be tested to make sure there are not any leaks, and that everything is working properly. We operate all the doors/windows, and electrical we have access to. We look into the attic to make sure there are not any leaks, water stains, cracked rafters, damaged/rot, and any discolorations from microbial growth.
In the basement, we describe the foundation type/condition, support system condition, plumbing systems, electrical, and so on. We identify wall movements, cracks, water stains, and seepage. We run the furnace, AC, water heater, and open the main electrical panels and note any problems with any of those items.
What Are The Goals Of A Home Inspection?
While home inspectors are completing the inspection, there are two main tasks that they are working to accomplish to help give accurate documentation of the value and condition of the home.
The first is identifying any problems that are visible with the home being inspected. As talked about earlier, this process covers a lot of different areas of the home and is done so with detail, so you don’t miss any potential problems or safety hazards.
The second goal of receiving a home inspection is the suggested fixes that need to be made by the seller (or you if you’re just checking your current home) before it causes more damage. These are normally brought to attention within the written report done by the home inspector and will be done in detail so that it is clear what action needs to be taken.
At the end of all this, it might seem a bit overwhelming with how detailed and important a home inspection can be which is the main reason why you should work with home inspectors that you can trust and who are qualified to do the job correctly. This could be the difference between having some serious headaches after a home purchase or moving into your new home with peace of mind.
