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What is a home inspection? |
What is a Home Inspection?
A proper home inspection is a 2 to 3 hour general, visual, non-invasive examination of the property in question by a qualified Home Inspector. A qualified home inspector has many years of experience in the building trades and has invested many hours of training time learning HOW to properly inspect for and report on defects observed. The average contractor or knowledgeable "friend" IS NOT a qualified Home Inspector!
All the major house systems are evaluated, including;
* Roof,
* Foundation,
* Main Electrical System,
* Plumbing System (waste & water supply)
* Heating, Ventilation and Cooling System
The site is also evaluated for proper drainage, the condition of doors and windows and the functionality of built-in lighting and appliances. If problems are found in any specific area, you will be referred to a specialist in that area for further, in-depth evaluation and cost estimates for repairs or replacements.
It is sort of like going to your HMO "Gateway Doctor". They will check you out and refer you to the proper specialist. The Home Inspector does the same for a house. This process helps control inspection costs. There are many "specialist" type inspections that may be needed. No need to spend money needlessly if it isn't called for.
Benefits of a Home Inspection
If you are the prospective buyer (or seller) of a home, it is unlikely that you are well versed in all the various defects that any home can be subject to. Time and weather are very hard on any structure. Only a trained and experienced professional home inspector can properly evaluate a structure and its systems and report its true condition. All homes have some problems, even brand new ones! I've yet to find the "perfect house". What may appear to you to be a big deal may, in fact be a minor repair, easily corrected. On the other hand, what seems trivial can lead to costly repairs down the road if not addressed in a timely fashion. Only the Professional Home Inspector will know.
Selling your home? Get a Pre-Listing Inspection.
If you are the seller, it is prudent to know the true condition of your property. Today's buyers WILL get an inspection, that's pretty standard in this market. It would be much better for you to know beforehand and disclose or repair any defects in order to get top dollar. I have discovered many defects that sellers had no idea existed. These defects could compromise your deal if not handled properly. Who has the time to sift through multiple offers, select a qualified buyer and do all the paper work involved only to have the buyer walk away when a significant, undisclosed defect is discovered?
Have a "New" home?
Now why would you need a Home Inspection for a brand new house? In most cases, the builder is responsible for the new home for the first 12 months. At around 10-11 months, it is wise to get a "12 month warranty inspection' by a professional to document any problems that may have come up. All houses have problems! I've done over 2500 property inspections and I have yet for find one house that didn't have some problems.
Unless you are a building professional, you may not know how serious a problem is and what the consequences of not handling it may be.
And then there is the tendency of the builder to try to avoid paying for any repairs by saying that the problem you are having is "normal" or "common" or "no big deal". How are you going to dispute his evaluation? You can't. Down the road, when it has become a real big problem it's too late to go back and try to get the builder to fix it. Your 12 month warranty is UP!
It is much harder for the builder to dispute the findings of a Professional Property Inspector with credentials to back him or her up.
Get that 12 month warranty inspection before it's too late.
Inspector Dana
http://www.inspectordana.blogtocash.net
Dana is a retired General Contractor from California with 27+ years in the building trades including Plumbing, HVAC & Electrical work on residential, commercial and light industrial projects.
This article is copyrighted 2007 by True Professionals, Inc.
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