General Home: Home Inspection Inspector
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.
by: Mike
Henderson
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