The home buying process is highly crucial and can be difficult; if you’re a first-time home buyer then it could be exciting but stressful. You’ve to keep a lot of things in mind before moving into a home purchase and inspection.
Actually, home inspection helps buyers to avoid disgusting surprises in the future; it’s nothing but an instrumental part of the home buying process which helps to save money and time for the buyers.
Now let’s see about home inspection tips for buyers but before that, I’d like to explain it briefly.
What is a home inspection?
A home inspection is a report which states the condition of the entire home, for that you should hire an expert who will check the home’s major components, current condition, and what should be repaired in the future. This report will give a deep understanding of the home and if you’re not satisfied with the report then you can ask a seller to pay for the repairs before closing.
#Tip 1: Hire a Qualified Home Inspector
Buying a home is a costly purchase so it’s mandatory to hire a professional contractor for inspecting because this inspection will protect you in the short and long term. Hiring a home inspector with a good reputation is a significant step in the home buying process. What’s the job of a home inspector? The role of them is to go through your home and find whether there are any potential problems.
Follow the below steps to find the right inspector:
- First of all, check the home inspector’s license and verify it. We need a professional person so enquire whether they have undergone proper training and experience.
- Make sure that the inspector is comfortable with you on-site and ask for a sample report.
- Check how thorough are they, you must know whether they go on the roof, or just look from the ground?
You’ll get only limited time for a home inspection so hire a professional and speed up the process.
# Tip 2: Get Prepared to Attend the Inspection
The home buyer should be present while inspecting their entire home because attending the inspection may give some ideas to understand the potential problems earlier. Read the seller’s disclosure form thoroughly and ask questions regarding the home’s condition or future maintenance.
Normally a home inspection may take 3-4 hours so spend enough time to complete the process. Your home inspector is responsible for preparing the inspection summary which will be sent to you via mail within 24 hours.
Within 3-4 hours you can plan for furniture placement or other indoor fittings which may be important for you in the future.
#Tip 3: Make a list of things to be inspected
Before inspecting you’ve to decide the list of areas of the home to be inspected, if there is a home inspector they will have their own checklist but you should also prepare it.
Your checklist should include
- The Roof
- Walls, floors, ceilings
- Basement or crawl space
- Attic space
- Doors and windows
- Electrical panel, power outlets
- Walkways and driveways
- Garage
- HVAC and Thermostats
- Appliances
To get a quick and accurate result make use of a thermal imaging camera as it can inspect all your checklists within a short time and deliver a clear photograph of every nook and corner in a building.
#Tip 4: Be Aware of what’s not covered
Usually, a home inspection is for structural, safety, and mechanical components so few things will not be included in the contract. So you need to check some things of your own, which are
- Lawn sprinklers
- Pest infestation
- Fireplace and chimney
- Trees and landscaping
- Swimming pool
- Drainage
- Sewer line
- Wood destroying pests
Inspectors can’t manage and report all the issues also they can report only what they see. If the home is easily accessible the inspector can check out the foundation perfectly and produce a report.
#Tip 5: Review the Report
Once the inspection is completed just go through all the disclosures and report with your contractor. If your home inspector finds too many issues then it’s good to reconsider your decision to purchase the home. Read the report thoroughly and clarify with the agent if you have any doubts, ask the opinion from your agent and make them estimate how much repairs will cost.
Little repairs don’t affect your home purchase but major problems must be taken care of before doing any investment. If you don’t have any good opinion about the property there are options for canceling the contract, your expert must prepare the contract cancelation form and report to the seller.
Wrapping Up!
Buying your first home is a great experience but it needs a lot of research before investing, hiring an expert is the best way to save money and time. Home inspections help to ensure that you’re on the right track and making a worthy purchase.
