Allan C. Brown Realtor®

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

House Inspections

Depending on the type of financing you choose, there should be either two or three separate inspections on the home you want to purchase. The first should be your own basic inspection where all major and most minor repairs should be addressed. The second should be a professional whole-house inspection by a reputable person. Should you select a government loan (FHA or VA), the third inspection should come at the time of the appraisal, which to some degree amounts to a "mini-inspection." Do not, however, rely on this appraisal as your only inspection of the property!

We cannot emphasize enough the value and necessity of an extensive home inspection. Many home purchasers, either in the desire to save the $200 to $500 that a good inspection costs, or due to simple ignorance, have spent enormous sums of money repairing items that any good home inspector would have pointed out. Any offer to purchase you make should be contingent upon (subject to) a whole house inspection with a satisfactory report. Do not let anyone--not your family or friends, and especially not the seller--dissuade you from having the property thoroughly inspected! Not only will you sleep much sounder after you have moved into the house, a professional inspection can give you an escape hatch from a contract on a defective house. If the contract is written contingent on an acceptable inspection, any defects in the home must be either repaired or monetarily compensated for. If you are not satisfied, you have the option to cancel the contract.

Inspections are designed to disclose defects in the property that could materially affect its safety, livability, or resale value. They are not designed to disclose cosmetic deficiencies (for example, an interior wall that needs paint touch up). You will need to determine on your own those types of items that will need attention: don't expect a whole house inspection to reveal them to you.

Don't wait until you have placed an offer on a house before you begin the search for a home inspector. There will be a time limit in the contract designating when the inspection must be completed (typically between seven and fourteen days). If you start trying to find an inspector at that point, and cannot find an acceptable one to schedule it in that time frame, you will only have two choices: go with an inspector that is not your first choice, or run the risk of running past the deadline for the inspection (which could void any chance having the seller take care of repairs). Neither is an acceptable alternative!

BIG Mistakes!

Some of the reasons that we have heard for NOT doing an inspection include…

"We don't want to spend the money."

"I have a cousin who does construction on the side. He'll check the house out for me."

"The house looks fine to me!"

"It's only 3 years old. What could be wrong with it?"

…To which we respond:

"Don't want to spend the money..." $200 - $400 for a professional inspection or the potential of $2000, $4000, $6000 or more in repairs. Is it a good gamble?

"Have a cousin..." Your cousin (or friend, or co-worker) might be the best carpenter or brick mason in town, but unless he or she has experience in and is trained in the total home inspection process, you won't get the complete picture.

"Looks fine to me..." Unless YOU have been trained in home inspection procedures, as they say in the legal world, "you have a fool for a client."

"Only three years old..." Major defects are often found in brand new homes. Do you want to run the risk that your three year old home wasn't one of them?

In our minds, there really just is not a good excuse for not having a professional home inspection. Yourhouse is far too big an investment (and the potential for huge repair costs just as big) to ignore an evaluation of its condition.

Some tips on home inspections:

A professional home inspection is designed to reveal major defects in the home (structural, electrical, plumbing, roofing, appliances, etc). It is not designed to discover cosmetic items so be certain that you spend an adequate time with a personal inspection of any potential home.
Don't lose a perfectly acceptable house over a minor problem. Major problems must be dealt with completely, but we have seen buyers and sellers run the risk of losing a contract for purchase over a $100 repair. Both drew lines in the sand that were only $100 apart and refused to budge. If the house is right enough for you to get as far as the home inspection stage, don't let ego or stubbornness cost you the home!

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