April 12th, 2012 5:59 PM by Office Fax
Regardless of whether you are buying a brand new construction, or a house that has been lived in for years, having the property you are buying inspected by a professional is always a good idea. Certified home inspectors can identify code violations and other faults that might not be obvious to the normal person walking through a home. Making an offer on a home conditional upon the properties inspection can allow you as a buyer to be aware of what you are really paying for, and what you might have to pay for in the future. The cost of an inspection all depends on the size of the house and what items you want checked, but can range anywhere from $200 to $500. You can also ask a seller to allow you to have their home inspected prior to making an offer. Even if a seller has already had their home professionally inspected, it is important that you conduct your own inspection at some point in the buying process before finalizing the deal in order to protect yourself against unsuspected problems in the future. Problems can be missed by a seller’s inspection mistakenly (or conveniently), and you should always take it upon yourself to do the proper due-diligence. A leaking roof is a common problem that can get passed onto unaware buyers because some professional home inspectors do not include roof inspection in their services. Be sure that the house inspection is tough and thorough, and everything from top to bottom is looked at including:
· The Heating Systems
· The Electrical Systems
· The Plumbing
· The Foundation
· The Structure
· The Roof
· The Chimney
· All Appliances That Will Be Remaining in the House
It also might be worth the extra mile to have the property inspected for pests. This usually is not included by a general inspector, and will probably cost extra, but it is another way for you to be more aware of what you are buying.
As much as I have stressed identifying problems with a home with an inspection before buying, the results of the inspection are not by any means things you must require the seller to repair. An inspection summary should not turn into a list of demands that you enforce on the seller. The inspection simply allows you to know that you are getting what paid for and what you are getting yourself into as the future home owner. You certainly can ask the seller to address certain issues before proceeding with the buying process, or you can simply adjust your offer to account for having to make repairs in the future. If you and the seller agree to have any major problems fixed before proceeding, it might be wise to hire your own inspector to check the work once completed.
Buying a house is a major investment, and most people only get to do it a handful of times, so make sure that you do everything in your power to ensure that you know what you are buying, and that you are satisfied with what you are getting, the next time you are in the market.