4 Important Tips for Prospective Home Buyers Regarding Home Inspections
A home inspection is an important visual assessment of a home’s condition, typically performed when the home is being sold. The people you will work with to perform this evaluation are referred to as home inspectors. Qualified home inspectors evaluate the condition of various features in the home in order to provide guidance on the current condition, present defects, and potential future repairs and maintenance costs.
Mistakes to Avoid in Home Inspection
Don’t skip the inspection
One of the biggest mistakes people make in the home buying process is skipping the home inspection which can be an unwise decision. An inspection provides you with an excellent opportunity to have a professional assess the home prior to making a commitment. As an added benefit an inspection provides you with a chance to forecast expenses that could arise in the near future for maintenance or repairs. Failure to do so could significantly impact the value of a home and skipping this process also means you’ll miss an opportunity to learn more about the property you are considering.
Finding the right inspector
When it comes to home inspections, it is essential that you hire an individual who belongs to a reputable home inspection organization. Certified home inspectors will adhere to the acceptable standards of service and ethics established by their certifying body such as The American Society of Home Inspectors, ASHI. Their certification will serve as proof that they have the knowledge and skills needed to properly complete an inspection. You should also do some research on your home inspector to establish if they are covered by an errors and omission insurance policy to ensure that, should an error occur, you will have the opportunity look into recouping any losses.
Attending the Inspection
Reading your inspection report can provide you with lots of good information, but if you want to gain a full understanding you really should attend the home inspection. Plainly put, if you don’t see it, you may have trouble understanding the items listed on your report. Unfortunately, a significant number of homeowners still fail to attend inspections because they can’t make it, or do not understand the importance of an in person summary.
The best thing you can do is make plans to attend. A basic inspection can take an entire morning or afternoon so check with your inspection company to determine how much time you should mark off on your calendar to be present for the duration of the inspection. If you simply can’t afford to attend the entire inspection finding a time to discuss the report with your inspector after it is completed can help. You can ask your inspector to sit down with you after the inspection to explain anything that you didn’t understand.
Not Following Up on the Inspection
After receiving the inspection report, it is important that you and your realtor read through it carefully. With facts in hand, you can proceed to hire professionals who can evaluate the areas of the home that have been discovered to have defects and provide you with estimates for repairs. Once you have all the relevant information and estimated budget, you can go to the seller and begin negotiations based on this information.
HomeGuard Home Inspectors Have the Knowledge You Need
Hiring the right inspector can mean the difference between making a good or bad investment. This is why you should choose HomeGuard for your inspection needs. We are a reputable, Northern California company that offers quality home, roof, and termite inspections, as well as NHD report services.
