What is a Home Inspection????
A home inspection is a visual examination of the home’s major structure, systems, and components that are visible and safe to access. In lamens terms, we investigate a house and present you with a written report, with pictures, and explain how they work. So that you can make an informed decision on buying the home or property. The report is for the “Time of Inspection”. There is no control over what happens after leaving the property, such as storm damage, vandalism, or the current owner.
Structure, components, and systems are the house. From foundations, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roof, windows, doors, and the exterior.
Visible and safely accessible, which means if Nana has 32 boxes of pictures in the garage, we can not move all the boxes and inspect the area. If there is artwork hung on every wall, we can not see behind them. If there is water ponding in the crawlspace, we may not enter in case of getting shocked if electrical comes into play or maybe sewage leaks into the area.
How to counter this??? Ask our inspectors to return and do a final walkthrough just before signing on the dotted lines. When everything is either moved out or has been repaired. The Re-inspection is only isolated to the inaccessible areas, so there is no need to block out a few hours for a whole home inspection, just a few minutes.
Why should you get a home inspection?
Buying a house is most people’s largest investment they will ever make. A well-written inspection report will arm the potential buyer with the knowledge of the home before signing on the dotted lines. Just remember components will fail and need to be replaced.
Annual home inspections can mitigate problems before they get out of hand. Such as boots around roof penetrations for venting. The Sun just destroys these things and the sealants and they tend to crack and create ways for water intrusion. People take their cars to a mechanic for a yearly inspection and tune-up. Why not your house?
New construction and 11th-month warranty inspections are becoming more common. These are for helping homeowners from shotty work. From finding incomplete drain lines in walls to electrical junction boxes tucked between studs, waiting to be covered with drywall. Most builders have a one-year warranty on their products. So the 11th month warranty is crucial. Things settle in houses by that time, revealing possible problems.
How long should an Inspection take?
Depending on the square footage, year built, and location, your inspection may take around 3 hours. Ancillary services such as inspecting outbuildings and pools will add to the time. If the seller still occupies the property, making it harder to navigate the house will add time. Remember Inspectors have a flow on how they inspect a house so they can move more efficiently and hit their checklist.
Conclusion
Every home should be inspected before purchase and every year after the purchase. If you are selling your home, have it inspected so that there are no surprises and punch list items can be repaired before heading to market. And Congratulations on your new home!!!
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