Must-Know Things About Home Inspections

For all homebuyers, having your home inspected by a professional is an important step in the home buying process. Home inspection is an educational process that helps reduce your risk when buying a home. Therefore, as a homebuyer, it’s important that you have a good understanding on the home inspection process. Therefore, we have discussed below some important things you need to know about home inspections.

• Choose an accredited home inspector. This step is one of the most important things you need to do once you have decided to buy a house. At present, several professional home inspection organizations are trying to set new standards of quality through accreditation. For instance, members of the National Association of Home Inspectors, Inc. or NAHI, need to meet strict membership criteria for each level of their membership. Therefore, when you’re looking for a home inspector to hire, check their credibility, background and license. It also recommended that you consider at least three licensed inspectors before choosing the one you’ll hire. Be sure to interview your prospective candidates and ask for referrals from their past clients. Lastly, hire the inspector base on his qualifications and not because he offers the lowest fee or he’s the only one available right away.
• Attend the inspection together with the inspector. Once you’ve decided the date and time of the inspection, be sure you attend the inspection and never leave the inspector’s side. This allows you to see for yourself the different aspects of the house especially those that need renovations or repairs.
• The inspector should be thorough with the inspection. You have to ensure that the inspector turns on all appliances to make sure they work especially if they are included during home selling. Furthermore, check the two most expensive and important parts of the house, which are the roof and foundation, that are best viewed from the attic as well as the basement.
• Inspect what’s outside the house. When you’re done checking the interiors of the house, you’ll also need to check what’s outside. Experts recommend staying away from homes that are near main roads, high-tension electrical wires, and sumps as these will eventually cause a lot of problems when you start living in your new home.
• Get a report of the property inspection. You can request a verbal and a hard copy of the summary of the property inspection especially one that focuses on the deficiencies. And if there are lots of deficiencies found, it’s your responsibility to obtain three quotes for the repairs from independent firms. The inspector should not provide estimates or recommend firms to hire for repairs or renovations.