Buying a house is almost a once-in-a-lifetime decision – at least for many of us. Whether you are looking to invest in real estate or want to settle in this new place you will call your ‘home’, a considerably large amount of your hard-earned money will go into this purchase. This is the reason you want to ensure that your potential new house is worth the money and the effort being spent on it.
Home inspections are a part & parcel of this very process.
As a buyer of a new home, here’s all that you need to know about the process of home inspection. This is something we advise you do, well in advance of your home purchase:
What is a home inspection?
A home inspection is an elaborate evaluation of a home carried out by a trained home inspector, upon the request of a buyer of that house. Once the buyer decides upon a house that meets their expectations as their potential home, they endeavor to get a home inspection performed, where in, the home inspector closely evaluates every single part of the house and lists out every possible problem area in the house and submits an evaluation report.
What comes under the scope of a home inspection?
As every property is unique, its needs for inspection to determine the problem areas as they may be different and unique as the house itself.
In general, a home inspection encompasses all possible parts of the home including
- Electrical Aspects
- Plumbing Aspects
- Construction Aspects
- Safety Aspects
- Fittings and Fixtures
- Electrical Fixtures
- Data Connections
- Condition of windows, doors and doorframes
- Floor, ceiling and walls are also inspected
Is it necessary to opt for a home inspection before buying a house?
While it is not necessary, it definitely makes a lot of sense to do so. A home inspection gives you a lot of clarity on any potential problems you might face with your new house once you occupy the house, . You may accordingly refer to your real estate agent and address the issues with the seller of the property before closing the deal. This gives you an opportunity to negotiate with the seller to cover some of the repair charges.
Whose responsibility is it to hire the home inspectors?
Home inspections are not solely for the benefit of the buyer. But in many cases it is the responsibility of the buyer to have a home inspection performed for the purchase before closing the deal.
What kind of home inspectors to hire?
One must always make sure to hire an experienced home inspector. You may be tempted to hire a contractor thinking that they possess the same skills since they know how to fix the existing maintenance problems of the house. The home inspectors have had specialized training to be able to identify even the slightest of problems that run the risk of being missed by anyone else. While a trained home inspector may cost you a bit more than a contractor, the former will make sure to present you with an exhaustive report on the problems.
How to deal with the problems uncovered during a home inspection?
Once you know the problems your potential home has, you have a detailed consultation with your real-estate professional to understand which of these need redressal by the seller before the purchase is finalized. For some of the major repairs, you might want to negotiate with the seller to take care of them. For the issues the seller disagrees to address, you may ask for a reduction in the price of the property or credit to be paid on accomplishing the repair.