Home Inspectors | Home Inspection Expectations
You have been searching for months, and after looking at every other home available, you've finally decided to make an offer on your dream home. It is everything you were hoping for when you started looking, but there are a couple of things that you should do before moving your boxes into the front door. One of the most important is the home inspection.
Why Do I Need a Home Inspection?
Every home deteriorates over time, no matter how well it has been built, or the quality of the materials that were used in construction. Home deterioration should be expected as a part of your ownership. It is not necessarily a problem, provided that the proper maintenance and repairs have been performed over the years. A professional home inspector can tell you whether or not these upgrades have been done, and whether there are any additional issues of which you should be aware.
What is a Home Inspection?
A home inspection is the expert opinion of the current state of the property you are purchasing. It indicates the components of the home that may need repair or replacement, and any safety hazards that you might be presented with. Home inspections are a necessary part of any prospective homeowner's due diligence in order to insure that there are no unforeseen repairs or replacements that may need to be made.
What Do the Results of my Home Inspection Mean?
If your initial offer included a conditional clause requiring the home inspection, then you are not bound to purchase the property after the inspection has been performed. If the inspection turns up a major unexpected issue, you may want to reconsider your bid. You may want to negotiate the price with the seller, or you may want to walk away from the deal altogether.
However, every home will probably require some level of repair. It is something that you should expect when purchasing a home, especially if it is an older structure. You have to weigh the benefits of the home with the expenses that you will incur as the future owner.
What Does the Home Inspection Not Offer?
Home inspections tell you the repairs necessary for your new home. It will not determine its value or whether it is in violation of any building codes. These are jobs for your real estate agent. Even though some building infractions can obviously be seen, it is not the home inspectors role to point these out.
Will the Home Inspector Catch Everything?
Although a professional inspector will try and catch every potential problem, there are often things that can slip their attention. Some issues may be unseen, hidden within the walls or foundation of the home that can't be seen by a visual walkthrough of the property. Even the most seasoned professionals will occasionally miss something.
Having a home inspection performed is a necessary step when purchasing a new home. In addition to providing a wealth of information that will help in planning future repairs, home inspectors can lay out a proper maintenance schedule for you. In this way, you can keep your home in the best possible condition and help to avoid future replacements or repairs.