What you see when it comes to buying a house is not exactly what you are getting. You can see vibrant flowers, newly painted walls, countertops with granite, gleaming hardwood floors, and other surface touches. All you can’t see are the foundation cracks, rusty pipes, dangerous cabling, faulty appliances, or other flaws that may be exposed when you do a home inspection properly.
What is a home inspection?
A home inspection is an opportunity for you to employ a professional to walk around the house and prepare a report detailing the Key components of the house, their current state, what needs urgent attention, and what repairs will be needed after you move in.
For a buyer, the home inspection report gives a much better insight into whether the house has been well maintained or needs significant repairs. When you are not happy with the current state of the house, you may ask the seller for the address of the repair, or give you credit for the cost of the renovations at closing.
Things To Consider Before Hiring a Home Inspector?
Ask for a summary report before recruiting an inspector so you can see what the inspector contains and evaluate their comments. Some reports run 100 pages or longer, with photos in them. Other records are mostly short-notice checkboxes.
A more extended report is not always better than that, so be cautious when a report appears ambiguous or unclear. Tell the inspector what the test contains and what is not. If you have particular questions about the house, make sure that your inspection discusses certain things.
Your home-buying contract will include a contingency inspection that gives you a fixed number of days to complete an inspection. If the homes in the area sell quickly, your window can only be a few days away. You could get a week or more if the local market is sluggish.
In your home-buying process, select an inspector early so that you can schedule your inspection as soon as a seller accepts your bid. Good inspectors will be in high demand as more homes are sold, particularly in the springtime.
Home Inspection Checklist
We recommend that you brace for a home inspection by making a list of parts of the home where you want to be inspected before the inspector comes in. The checklist will contain:
- Appliances
- Walls, ceilings, and floors
- Doors and windows
- Stairs, steps, and railings
- Foundation
- Roof
- Attic space
- Rain gutters and downspouts
- Walkways and driveways
- Basement
- Exterior stucco or paint
- Electrical panel, light switches, and power outlets
- Garage
- Thermostats and heating (HVAC) system
- Plumbing fixtures
- Water heater
- Porches and balconies
An inspection will take at least several hours to complete. Seek to be available so you can find out about the state of the house as best as possible, make your notes and photos and inquire about something that interests you.
If the inspector notices significant issues or a longer list of small problems than you had expected, you might want to rethink your decision to buy this house. When you have questions, speak to the inspector about them.