If you have bought or sold a house in the recent past, chances are that you had to have the house inspected before the sale can go through. Whether it is the buyer insisting or the bank, the inspection needs to be done.
However, many people still don’t understand why they need to spend additional money on an inspection amid countless other expenses. Experts at The Inspectors Company share some of the key points about house inspections and why they are important.
Help Determine the Price of the House
The prices of homes in a certain area and in a certain period tend to be very similar. The market itself dictates that the price of the house cannot vary drastically from the other similar homes in the area.
However, not all similar homes are the same. A lot of it depends on the level of maintenance the houses had over the years. Two homes built at the same time can vary drastically in the condition depending on maintenance.
It is the job of the home inspectors to pick out those differences and tell you how that will affect the price.
Help Figure Out What Needs Repairs
No home can get a flawless review from a house inspector, there’s always going to be something wrong with it, no matter how much you or the previous owner took care of it.
However, there is a huge difference between having a rusted out gutter in one section of your roof and a huge water leak causing a mold infestation.
The inspector will tell you what the key points are that need some attention, and depending on that, you can choose to buy or not buy a home, or where to invest your maintenance money.
What Is Inspected
There are many different types of home inspections, ranging from the specialized septic tank or roof inspections to the all-encompassing buyer’s home inspection.
If you opt for a full inspection, the process starts from the foundations; literally, the house foundations are the first thing inspected, followed by the electrical wiring inspection and plumbing checkup.
On the inside of the house, the inspector checks all of the appliances, including the heating and cooling systems and the chimney (and/or a fireplace) if your house has one. Finally, the roof and windows and doors get a checkup as well.
If you have any other concerns, you can ask your inspector about it and they will tell you, or conduct an additional checkup for you, like the aforementioned septic tank inspection, or a pool inspection.
How Long Does It All Take
Chances are that you want the inspection to be done as soon as possible, so you can make a decision. However, the speed of the inspection depends on the size of the house, and to a lesser degree, the state of the house.
Typically, the inspection takes a few hours, but if you order any additional checkups to be done, it will take longer. Some inspectors schedule these secondary tests only after the results of the primary inspection are in.
How Often Do I Need a House Inspection
If you are doing the inspection in order to plan out a maintenance schedule for your home, once a year is the timeline most experts would suggest. Most commonly, these inspections are done in spring, when the weather is fair enough to do works on your house. It’s enough to tell you what you need to pay attention to during that season.
On the other hand, if you are conduction a specialized home inspection because you want to buy or sell the house in question, well, that is really a specific case and is only needed because you want to inspect real estate before it hits the market.
