Learn what the inspector will look for and how you should handle any issues that are turned up in the process. As a home buyer, the home inspection is your last chance to uncover defects with the house — and potentially get the seller to pay for them — before sealing the deal.
As a seller, you want to know what the inspector will look for so you can be prepared for their visit and help everything go as smoothly as possible. If serious problems turns up, talk to your home inspector and real estate agent about your best ways forward. But the more an inspector can access, the more complete the final report will be. Here are some ways you can help:. However, cherry-picking small problems that are quick, easy, and inexpensive to fix can drastically shorten the list of defects a report turns up.
And the shorter that list, the better the chances of your sale closing without quibbles. Inspectors are people, too. And just like everyone else, they associate a clean, sweet-smelling house with homeowners who care for their property.
It will do you no harm if the inspection starts off from that perspective. But look around for new defects. If a shingle has slipped from the roof or a pane of glass has cracked, get them fixed in advance. Similarly, if your furnace or HVAC is temperamental or is overdue for maintenance, get it professionally serviced. This is not the time to carry out expensive projects. But you might as well go for any quick wins that are available. Who knows? You might even save a few bucks. The buyer usually pays for the home inspection.
However, on making an offer, some insist the seller pays. Sometimes, sellers get their own home inspection before they first offer the home. That can reassure potential purchasers. And it can provide the owner with a chance to fix issues ahead of the marketing of the property. However, not all buyers are willing to accept a report paid for by the seller. Make sure yours is sufficiently qualified and experienced to do a good job.
Careful buyers — or ones alerted to potential problems by the inspector — may want to commission further home inspection reports from specialists concerning the possible presence of:.
Researching records can turn up significant information, too:. You might want to add one more item to your inspection checklist if you're buying in an area that has a history of severe weather events, such as flooding, hurricanes, or tornadoes.
A disaster inspection can tell you if the property suffered any resulting damage and how well it's likely to stand up to another such event. Environmental Protection Agency. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile.
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Roof Inspections. Sewer or Septic System. Soil Stability. Landscaping Inspections. Water Systems and Plumbing.
Gases and Chemicals. Asbestos Inspections. Then again, if you turn to your broker, just remember that the broker has a financial interest in your deal going through and may recommend a home inspector who might graze over potentially serious issues. Firstly, your inspector should be licensed, so that should be among your first questions along with price and scheduling availability. It would also be important to know how many years they have been working as a home inspector, or how long the company or service has been in operation.
An experienced inspector will be more knowledgeable as well as have more insights into what the potential issues may be in a home. Be sure to ask for a sample copy of an inspection report so you know exactly what they'll be checking and how thorough their reporting is. You should also ascertain that the inspector can service homes in the area you are requesting as some services limit the areas they are willing to travel to. Lastly, call a few different vendors and compare services, experience as well as pricing, making sure you find out any info about them online, including customer reviews.
These include:. Cosmetic repairs in the home are of no concern with the home inspector unless they pose a safety issue.
While a home inspection can tell you a lot about the house you're interested in, it doesn't give you the full picture. Some of the following items may be standard in areas outside the cities, but not offered universally, and some of them may be examined only superficially or not at all.
This is because all the water running in residences in urban areas comes from municipal water systems and not any independent water sources or private wells. What an inspector might do in your apartment is to check the water pressure as well as the temperature to make sure the water heater is working properly. Radon is a naturally-occurring carcinogenic gas emanating from radioactive materials like uranium from within the earth.
Despite a high risk in many states, radon testing is not a requirement for buying or selling a home anywhere. However, if you know the property you're interested in is in a low-risk area, radon testing would not be necessary. A single or two-family home that's in the form of a townhouse, may include a roof inspection as they are flat, not difficult to access, and generally, can be walked on safely. What they can include is just an observation of any issues they can spot from the ground, such as apparent damage or missing shingles.
They can shine a flashlight up the chimney to make sure there is no obstruction and that the damper switches are working. Your inspector will have a good idea as to whether you should get your prospective home tested for mold, such as if they spot water damage, notice very moist areas of the house, or lack of proper waterproofing in key areas like the bathroom and kitchen. It is highly recommended that you have your home tested for mold if your inspector suspects it.
Mold can cause a myriad of health issues for you and your family members. Asbestos and lead were once very popular materials used in insulation, paint, and a variety of other building materials before the adverse health effects were known. If you are purchasing a unit or home that was built before the s, chances are that there may be asbestos or lead-containing materials in your home. Your inspector is not equipped to test for these and the home should be tested especially if you noticed crumbling materials like paint or floor tiles.
If your home inspector is not licensed to deal with pests, you should hire a separate pest inspector. You'd do best to hire one especially if the home inspector tells you they see signs of pests, such as droppings. The report will be sent directly to you, most likely by email. A good report will clearly highlight potential hazards, damages, or issues so you can see where the problem areas are. Your real estate attorney should also have a good understanding of the contents of the report as it's their job to help you negotiate your sales contract.
Every home really is different. Condos, co-op, townhouses, and single-family homes all have different bylaws that they must adhere to. An inspection may only pick up what you yourself see just by looking at all the rooms in a co-op. In fact, a close inspection by the buyer of the appliances, fixtures, flooring, windows, and doors may be enough.
In most cases, maintaining the building is the responsibility of the corporation and all shareholders. Then again, the co-op building will clearly state that the shareholder is responsible for the repair of windows or the air conditioner unit, for instance. Reviewing the board meeting minutes and annual financial statements will help you and your attorney assess the state of the corporation's finances as well as the state of the building itself.
In a co-op, if a heating unit or plumbing are faulty, the co-op is responsible for getting them fixed. In a condominium , if the same types of things are damaged or not functioning, it's up to the condo owner to get those repaired. The inspector will look at the electrical system, the HVAC, and the plumbing, as well as the working order of windows and doors and other necessary areas or appliances.
Here, the inspector will ask the potential buyer to contact the condo association for records of the overall structure of the unit rather than examining the structures themselves.
A thorough inspection will shed light on the working order of all of the interior systems of the unit and your detailed report will help you guestimate how much your maintenance will be once you close. Unlike co-ops, prospective condo buyers and their inspectors must have access to a technical audit of the building, which will help you see the actual condition of the building.
The inspector will also need the most recent status certificate to establish the overall condition of the condo building. Above all, have your inspector find out if there are enough funds in the condominium building that can be used for immediate issues, as well as for any future repairs without you being pinned to a new assessment. Home inspections for townhouses and houses overlap, and one major reason to hire the inspector is to examine the roof of your potential house.
If your inspector sees caulking on the shingles, this is a tell-tale sign that the roof has undergone a quick fix patching, and not in the right manner.
The townhouse inspection can turn up some expenses that look fair now but will decay in the foreseeable future and be a liability. If you are quoted a cost for a townhouse inspection, the inspector will always quote the inspection fee exactly as the agent would for a single-family home. If a single home is considered the same as a townhouse, then the latter should be inspected in the same way as the house, with access to the outdoor structure of the house.
A home inspection may feel like a waste of your money if you are buying in new construction. You assume that since it was just constructed, or if that it has been constructed within the last five years, there will not be any problems.
Issues during the construction may have not been addressed. It's also common practice for developers to outfit their condos or homes with swanky looking fixtures and appliances that are actually cheap.
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