HOME SPECTORS
Because it's much more than a house.
Why Get a Home Inspection?
You may know what a home inspection is. You've gotten advice from friends about who's affordable or who's thorough. But let's start from the beginning. Why do you need a home inspection at all? Yes, it is an expense. But like any expense, an inspection can be looked at in two different ways: necessary or unnecessary. The way we come to a conclusion about what to spend our money on is by asking ourselves, "Do we get our money's worth? Is the expense an investment? If it is, it will save you more money down the road?
Some buyers view inspections as a luxury when buying a home. Or as an unneeded step in the home buying process. They would be quick to say, "I can't afford an inspection." "The house is only a couple of years old." "The house is so small it's not even worth it," or "I can look the house over myself." (Trust me, I've heard it all)
Let me define a home inspection the way I see it. A home inspection is a one time insurance premium. It ensures that, though the appraiser says the house is worth a certain amount of money, the house is indeed a good investment. Yes there is a fee for this insurance premium, but I find that buyers come out financially ahead when the home is inspected. Enough is added to the repair agreement or enough information is gleaned, to offset the cost of the inspection, usually many times over (if you figure you pay interest for years on the price difference, if offering less for the house after the inspection, you really come out ahead). It's not a luxury for homebuyers. It is absolutely necessary that every home be inspected before it's sold. I believe this would cut down on buyer's remorse and unplanned repairs that must be dealt with after the house is sold.
In this day and age the tools exist to inspect a home and find those conditions that warrant repair, monitoring, or further evaluation by a professional. There is no reason or excuse for purchasing something that you haven't had "checked out." You wouldn't buy a used car without taking it for a test drive or taking it to your mechanic, and a home is several times more costly.
I know people are anxious that what the inspector finds will hurt the sale of the home. I find that issues discovered during the inspection rarely mean the death of a sale. They might convince you to offer less for the house or request that the problems be fixed before you buy, but that only strengthens your faith in the process and puts your fears to rest. Most people don't want to sell someone a house with hidden problems. Many times sellers are unaware of the damage that might or might not be in their homes.
When you have a house inspected, you gain the ability to make an informed decision. Investors, that purchase homes at auction, have told me that their inspection gives them the information they need to set their bids (they know what the house is worth).They can factor repairs into the purchase price and formulate total expenditures before the house is even bought. This is the same power that every homebuyer should have.
When buying your next home, have it inspected to ensure that what you think your buying is indeed what you get. It will be an investment not only in your future, but in the future of your family.
The real question is, what houses need to be inspected. The answer, of course, is all of them. Let me explain how different homes can benefit from a home inspection.
New construction: Many people think new houses don't need home inspections. The assumption is, there is nothing wrong with the house because it's new. I inspect 3 or 4 year old houses all the time with door jamb damage, leaks in the roof because of obvious gaps, overheating in the attic because the ridge vent has not been cut out, disconnected heating or cooling ducts, and wood in contact with the dirt of the crawlspace, just to mention a few. Usually in these cases there are repairs to be made. The sellers simply didn't think they needed a home inspection when the house was new.
It is true that builders sometimes frown on home inspections. I encourage them to look at an inspection as something that will lower their liability. If something did manage to get through the building process without being completed or got damaged in the process, I think the builder would want to fix the problem before it caused more damage or caused higher utility bills. A home inspection should be used as a third party opinion concerning the home. This is also the time to test the house for a high concentration of radon and radon decay products.
Existing construction: Houses in this category can range from 1 to 100 years old. In that span of time there has been many building code changes, material improvements, and construction practices. Each house is a snapshot in time. Because of this, each inspection has to be customized to that house.
There are many benefits from having an existing house inspected besides finding faulty conditions or damage. Insurance companies will not insure, or will insure at a higher premium, houses that have older systems or recalled building materials. Banks don't like to lend money to purchase homes with older plumbing or electrical system. An inspection is useful not only for finding damage, but the report will list the system types and should tell you if the system has been recalled or is problematic. For more information about the benefits of getting a home inspection, read the article, Why Get a Home Inspection.
Investers: I do many inspections for investers. They buy houses to flip, rent, or resell. Usually they're not too concerned about cosmetic things or issues that they will change anyway. They do want to know if the house has good bones, what a home inspector will find when they sell the house, or what is damaged, so they can fix the house and get it rentable as soon as possible? Sometimes they want the inspection before the planned auction date so they can factor any repairs into the total price of the home. This allows them to know how far to go with their bid.
1. Written Evaluation: A written description of those systems described by the board rules which: states which systems and components have been inspected, states any systems or components designated for inspection that were not inspected, and the reason for not inspecting, states any systems so inspected that do not function as intended, allowing for normal wear and tear, and states whether the condition reported requires repair, subsequent evaluation, or warrants further evaluation by a specialist.
2. Residential Building: A structure intended to be, or that is in fact, used as a residence by one or more individuals and a single building of not more than four dwelling units.
3. Heating System: Permanently installed system which include: all heating equipment, automatic safety controls, chimneys, flues, vents, and solid fuel heating devices. Heating distribution system including fans, pumps, ducts, and piping, with supports, insulation and air filters, registers, radiators and convectors.
4. Cooling System: Central air-conditioning system and through the wall installed cooling systems including: condenser/compressor unit and air handling equipment. Distribution system including: fans, pumps, ducts and piping, supports, dampers, insulation, air filters and registers.
5. Plumbing System: Interior water supply and distribution system including: piping materials, supports, and insulation, fixtures and faucets, functional flow, leaks, and cross connections. Drain, waste, and vent systems including: traps, drains, waste and vent piping, piping supports, leaks, functional drainage, and sump pumps. Hot water systems including: water heating equipment, chimney flues and vents. Fuel storage and distribution systems including: interior fuel storage equipment, supply piping, venting, supports, and leaks.
6. Electrical System: The service entrance conductor, service equipment, grounding equipment, main overcurrent device, main distribution panels, branch overcurrent devices, branch circuit conductors, ceiling fans, light fixtures, switches, receptacles, and smoke detectors,
7. Structural Systems and Components: A component that supports non-variable forces or weights (dead loads) and variable forces or weights (live loads). Foundation, floors, walls, columns or piers, ceilings, roofs
8. Foundation Components: The components on which the frame of the house bares including: structural building materials, walls, piers, pilasters, slabs, and columns.
9. Roof: Roof covering, roof drainage systems, flashings, skylights, chimneys, and roof penetrations.
10. Masonry Structure: chimneys and porches including structural building materials, veneers, flues, flashings and caps.
11. Exterior Components: Wall cladding, flashings, and trim, entryway doors and windows, garage doors, decks, balconies, stoops, steps, porches and railings, eaves, soffits, and fascias, driveways, patios, and retaining walls, vegetation, grading, and drainage.
12. Interior Components: Interior installed coverings including: walls, ceilings, floors, steps, stairways, balconies and railings, counters and built-in cabinets, doors and windows.
