What Should you Know About Home Inspections
If you are a seller, it is best to do it before you sell to make sure there is not hidden problems. If you are a buyer, if one has not been done you would want to have one of your own to make sure you know what you are buying.
Make sure you:
- Hire a professional home inspector
Your Realtor usually knows and can recommend an inspector that is licensed and knows the legal requirements
- Inspectors will point out flaws and unknown conditions
He will check out all major appliances, electrical outlets, lighting fixtures, water pressure, gas safety, and all Safety issues but he will not invade the walls. No home is perfect so he may also note such as cracked tile but these are cosmetic and donot affect the structural integrity of your new home.
- Home inspection reports
The inspector will give you a report that will start from the outside, visually roof, exterior, soil touching the stucco, cracks of the exterior, garage, home entrance, foyer, floors, walls & ceiling for signs of cracks or water stains. Electrical outlets, lighting fixtures, windows for ease of operation and jeopardization, Kitchen major appliances for operation and leaks. Bathrooms and laundry for leaks. Air conditioning and heating. They go thru crawlspaces and attics.
You should also get a condensed version of the more serious and safety items for ease of viewing
- Home inspectors Code of Ethics are to the person paying the fee
Even though the report will still disclose all system failures he is only required to give the report to the person who pays him. It is only public knowledge by court of law of if submitted to the third party. If there is a failure of a system in the home, the owner/seller is still legally must disclose it to the prospective buyer.
- The home inspection is a great tool for Buyers and Sellers
Most buyers are not electricians, or plumbers or AC professionals. They do however need to know if the repairs of the findings are going to make the home they are interested in, worth what they offered for the home. In California, all home purchases are in “AS IS” condition so even though you as a buyer can request to repair the problems, the seller may or may not work with you on that. The inspection helps you to decide to stay with the home purchase or possibly renegotiate the price or the cost of the repairs; or you can walk away if it is all too much to deal with. The expense of an inspection if very reasonable will be worth it for your peace of mind (that the home has no hidden problems) or save you from a bigger expense problem if you go thorough with the purchase
By all means, use professionals in a Real Estate Transaction and trust your Real Estate Professional. So start with one you can Trust.
MarleneDietrichRealEstate.com