What To Expect From A Home Inspection
A quality home inspection provides buyers with many benefits but buyers often have misconceptions or false expectations about what a home inspection will actually provide. This can lead to a less than ideal experience. The following points are what you should expect from a home inspection.
1. A home inspection is a visual examination of the home and operating systems at the time that the inspection is done, but it is not a warranty.
2. Items that are not included in a normal home inspection are the cosmetic or esthetic features and systems such as the telephone, cable TV, alarm systems or lawn sprinklers.
3. A home inspector cannot knock out the walls to see what is behind them and will typically not move furniture. He/she cannot see through foundation, floors or walls and can only observe what is visible.
4. Also not included in a standard home inspection are inspections of swimming pools, spas, fireplaces, outbuildings or the like, although they are available as specialty services or add-ons to a home inspection.
5. A home inspection will provide buyers with an in-depth understanding of the home.
A quality home inspection can last up to three to four hours depending on the size of the home, but the intelligence gained is worth every second of your time when it comes to deciding whether you want to proceed with the purchase.
There is a lot of important information provided in a good home inspection report which should be provided either in paper or electronic format for your records. A thorough home inspection report will provide peace of mind on the purchase, outline ongoing maintenance costs to enable budgeting for the future, point out major repairs – when they will most likely be needed, how much they will likely cost – and describe good preventive measures that can be taken to optimize the home to prevent expensive surprises.
For more blog posts on other real estate topics or mortgage related topics, click here or scroll back to the top of the page and click on blog.