5 Reasons To Hire a Home Inspector During Your Buying or Selling Process
Phone: 252-670-8599
Whether you are a first time homebuyer or are experienced in the field of purchasing a new home, hiring a home inspector is important to include in the process to help you make the best decision for you and your family. On the flip side, if you are selling your home, a home inspector can be the difference between a quick and easy transaction with a buyer or a lengthy process filled with negotiations. Here at Coastal Property Inspections, we want to help you be as informed as possible with these 5 key reasons to hire a home inspector during your process.
Structural Integrity
When you are purchasing a new home, you want to be aware of all the potential issues that could mean money out of your pocket. Unfortunately, you are not a home inspector and most issues with a home are not noticeable to the untrained eye. A home inspector will come in to view the entirety of your potential home to find out what the structural integrity is. This will include the inspection of the areas such as the foundation, walls, attic, and crawlspace. They will look for things such as unlevel floors, cracks in the walls or chimneys, sagging in the ceiling and assess if it is a structural issue that needs immediate attention.
Safety of Home
The safety of your home is a primary concern as well to insure you are not moving into a house that can be dangerous or cause illness to you and your family. Electrical issues are a common cause of house fires and will be checked extensively for unsafe electrical systems, outdated wiring, ungrounded receptacles, and improper set up of circuit breakers. Health concerns can be avoided with the detection of harmful substances such as mold, asbestos, or lead-based paint. They will also check the functionality of the HVAC and ventilation system on the property to make sure it is working correctly.
Save Money
Probably the biggest encouragement for hiring a home inspector is the potential for saving money on your potential purchase. While a home inspector may cost you a few hundred dollars up front, your return on investment could be in thousands of dollars worth of unforeseen repairs. Knowing the condition of your home before purchase can help you to decide if the amount of repairs are worth your time and money and give you the opportunity to negotiate the funds for repairs with the seller. This will allow you to make a confident purchase of your home or allow you the opportunity to cancel the deal altogether.
Fast Sell of Home
Hiring a home inspector is a great idea for those selling their home. If you want to sell your home with a short and simple transaction, then hire a home inspector before you put it on the market. This will allow you to find out about issues such as mold, termites or even unknown septic issues and give you the time to eradicate them before you go into a purchase agreement.
Take Advantage of Home Warranty
Even if you are purchasing a brand new home, hiring a home inspector is a wise decision. Most new homes include a home warranty which will cover the cost of specific repairs of the home, if done within the first year. A home inspector will come in to review any repairs made and make sure they are completed as specified before the warranty runs out. If any are not done properly, you will have the chance to get them fixed correctly before it comes out of your pocket.
Tips During Home Inspection
When you hire a home inspector, keep in mind these tips:
- Attend the inspection: While most home inspections run somewhere around 3-4 hours long, you will get to follow along with the home inspector to learn about what they see, discuss areas of your home and be flooded with knowledge you wouldn’t normally get.
- Wear appropriate clothing: A lot of a home inspection is done outdoors so make sure to dress for the weather and for walking around in grass, dirt or even mud.
- Come prepared: Bring a notebook to jot down any information you talk about or questions you may have. Also bring a tape measure which will almost always be used and also a camera or phone to take pictures.
- Talk to your realtor: Your realtor has gone through this process many times and is probably fairly experienced with home inspections. Get their input on what you should focus on during the home inspection.
- No home is perfect: Remember that no home is without its issues, so don’t be alarmed if you get a 50 items long report for your potential home. A home inspection is not a pass or fail on a home, but instead for you to decide what are vital concerns and what are issues you feel comfortable dealing with.
- Can’t predict future issues: While a home inspection is valuable, it is only done for what is discovered at the time of the inspection and is not responsible for any issues that may arise in the future.
Our goal at Coastal Property Inspections is to protect your financial interests with a home inspection that can give you enough information to make a confident decision in your purchase of a new home. If you are buying or selling a home, give us a call today and let us help make the process quick, smooth and knowledgeable.
Ready to schedule your inspection?
Schedule online or give us a call 252-670-8599