I’ve Found A Good Home Inspector. What Else Should I Know Before the Home Inspection?

Although it seems like finding a licensed, certified, insured and professional home inspector might be the hard part of the home inspection process…there are a couple of other tips that you might want to consider before your home inspection.

  • Be sure to attend the home inspection. One picture is worth a thousand words, make every effort to attend your home inspection.
  • Be sure that the home inspector is well equipped. The home inspection engineer should be fully equipped with necessary tools including electrical testers, a fuel gas and carbon monoxide detector, moisture meter, ladder, inspection mirror, flashlight, level, and other home inspection tools, etc.

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  • Be sure to follow the home inspector and ask questions. No questions are foolish, learn as much as you can from the home inspector during the home inspection.
  • Be sure that all of the following points are fully covered. There’s nothing more important than knowing that the home you are purchasing is structurally sound including the framing and foundations.
  • In addition, the physical, plumbing, heating, air-conditioning, and electrical systems should be thoroughly inspected and evaluated. The home inspector should determine the condition of the roof surface, the exterior facades, doors and windows. The land grading around the home should be examined, as well as the condition of decks, patios, porches, driveways and sidewalks.

Areas to be inspected

The physical condition of the interior of the home should be evaluated searching for tell tale signs of problems. Your home inspector should determine if there are indications of past water intrusion into the attic or lower levels of the home and whether the home is susceptible to water intrusion in these areas. The home inspector should look for materials that may be asbestos containing materials. The home inspection should include an inspection for wood destroying insects that will be accepted by your mortgage lender.

The home inspector should inspect all electrical and mechanical components of the home and look for aluminum electrical distribution wires, electrical systems that are not adequate for modern usage, lead and galvanized steel water supply pipes, aged and inefficient heating and air-conditioning systems, etc. If the home has a well and/or septic system, these systems should be evaluated as well by the home inspector.

What happens after the home inspection?

Be sure to have the home inspector summarize the findings and obtain a full verbal report at the conclusion of the inspection. The home inspection report should be available the next working day after the home inspection.

At the conclusion of the inspection you should know the condition of the home you are purchasing, including all positive and negative aspects. You should know what repairs are needed, as well as the urgency of the needed repairs, and the magnitude of the repair costs. You should know a proper course of corrective repairs and whether alternatives are available. You should know if there are any unsafe conditions, and whether there are any risks of hidden deterioration.

The inspection report shows some problems I was not aware of. What should I do?

Remember, there’s hardly a perfect home, a good home inspector will always find some defects but you need to weigh the positives against the negatives. There are many factors to consider, and some defects, such as a termite infestation, have historically been the seller’s responsibility in real property transactions.

The bottom line is that it can’t hurt to negotiate for a better sale price on the home based upon the defects uncovered by the inspection.

 

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For more helpful information, visit our website at www.homemd.com