When buying a home, it is very important to have it inspected by a competent home inspector. A good home inspector can provide you with a lot of valuable information.
The best way to find the right inspector is to talk with people you know who have had inspections in the past. This might be a friend, someone from work, or a family member who may have used a home inspector for a house they bought. Also, real estate agents and mortgage loan consultants work with home inspectors often, so they are a good source for a recommendation.
Once you have found your inspector, they will check many areas of the house such as the roof, walls, windows, doors, foundation, heating/air conditioning system, and even the plumbing system. The inspector will not take anything apart, so this will only cover things that are easy to see.
As the new buyer, it is not necessary to be present at the inspection. But if you can be there, you will have the opportunity to ask the inspector questions. Most home inspectors are experts in many areas of home ownership and maintenance, so new home owners can learn much from their experience. Expect to be at the house for two to four hours for the inspection process.
The price you pay for a home inspection depends on a number of things such as the area that the house is in, size of the house, type and age of the house. It is not a bad idea to shop around for price, especially if you have recommendations of a few different home inspectors that work in your area.
The report that you get can come in different forms. Some are created by hand, but the more professional inspectors use a computer form and even include pictures. The report helps the inspector make sure that they have covered all of the basics, and do not leave out any essential pieces when inspecting what will possibly be your new home.
You should not worry too much about the cost of a home inspection, as it is almost always a wise investment. This is especially true if you find problems with the house that you were not aware of, and are able to get the sellers of the house to pay for part or all of the necessary repairs. Most sellers are willing to negotiate on repair costs for significant problems that are discovered during a home inspection. This is because sellers realize that the next buyer will likely find the same problems, and to some degree the seller is required by law to disclose any problems that they know about.
Be sure to keep a copy of the report. Should you find an obvious problem with the home after your purchase, it is possible in certain circumstances to hold the inspector responsible for not finding and reporting on this problem.
Like title insurance and an appraisal, a good home inspection is a great investment that that increases the value of the much bigger investment in a home.
