What Is A Home Inspection ?
Let’s start at the beginning. What is a home inspection?
“A limited, non-invasive examination of the condition of a home”
It is a based on a visual inspection of the accessible aspects of any given property.
The Home Inspector Works For You
The home inspection relationship is between the home buyer and the inspector. He does not owe a duty to the Realtors or anyone else involved in the process. Make sure you hire a Home Inspector that you are comfortable with. Ask for references, ask the tough questions.
The Inspection Process
The Inspector will go over the entire process with you before they begin. Every inspector has their own routine and no two inspections are the same. If you have noted any particular areas of concern on your previous visits make sure and highlight these to your inspector at the beginning of the inspection.
They will normally begin with the outside looking at the roof, window wells, foundation, drainage, and any other outdoor structures.
Once they have moved to the interior of the property they are performing a visual inspection of all the elements. Some have infra-red cameras to look for damp spots. They will look at all the major components of the house. They will check sinks, toilets, outlets, attic space, and anywhere else they can access.
Many inspectors have detailed check lists that they follow making sure that they do not miss anything.
The Inspector Won’t And Should NOT Check Everything
Inspectors are not magicians, they also cannot see into the future. They are giving you an assessment of the home accurate and relevant as of the second they do it.
A basic inspection will likely not include an assessment of the following:
- Swimming pools
- Wells
- Septic Tanks
- Fireplaces and chimneys
Unless your inspector is a qualified electrician, furnace engineer, structural engineer, should you take their assessment of these elements as gospel? No you should not. A good inspector will qualify their observations on these elements by telling you that their opinion is based on experience not qualification. If you have concern about these elements you should bring in a specialist.
After The Inspection
At the house the inspector will go over everything they have found in the inspection. However this can be a lot of information to digest at one time. Shortly after the inspection the home inspector should e-mail you a copy of the report. This should include detailed pictures and descriptions.
Time Line
It isn’t always possible but try and make sure you have enough time to review your report and get answers to any questions you have.
Go To Your Inspection
Sometimes you just can’t make it. Life is busy. However, I cannot stress enough how important it is that you attend your inspection. As well as the inspection you will learn where all the important aspects of your homes systems are.
Potential To Negotiate
Let me be clear. If your inspection report shows that a few door handles are loose, an old light switch is broken, and a carpet has some stains. Under no circumstances will we be asing for 10’s of thousands of dollars of the purchase price. Sure you can ask for repairs and maybe a little bit of money. You have to be realistic.
Nothing will kill a deal faster than using poor excuses to try and re-negotiate the entire deal.
Be fair and realistic.