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A bad home inspection? Just maybe.....

home inspections

How does your house look to the naked eye? Does it take a rocket scientist to figure out what might be wrong with the house that you are interested in? How do you go about looking for a home inspector? When should a home inspection be done? Should you do a home inspection even on a new construction property? Read what Marlene Bridges had to say : Before You Shop For A New Home - Get Help!

So many questions, but what to do. When looking at home, ask your realtor for their opinion. They usually have a few home inspectors that they have a relationship with or who they can recommend. If you are having an appraisal done on the house, try and show up for that appraisal. Either ask this appraiser questions or try to get your home inspector to meet up at the same time with the appraiser.

home inspector

Why is this important? Just recently my sister and brother-in-law decided to put their house on the market. They wanted to put an air conditioner in the house prior to selling the house. They had several people come out to give them estimates. Some of these companies recommended that they have an electrician come out and look at their electrical box and such. Because they didn't think that the electrical system would support the new air conditioning unit.

After several quotes and certified electricians, they were told that there were not enough amps. And they all came back and stated that there weren't even enough amps to even support the house as it is.

Well, this posed a huge problem because of all the expenses that they were going to incur prior to selling the house. And the feedback from these electricians? Apparently the inspector didn't inspect the house properly. But again, these were professional opinions.

Summary : When interviewing home inspectors, ask them what they will be inspecting, when it comes to your house. Make sure you speak to at least 2 different companies. Don't just fall for the company that offers the quickest service and the cheapest fee. Think about what kind of service that might come with this. Make sure that you get some kind of Home warranty also.

Go to Google and search home warranty. You will see that you will get at least 10 companies to interview for this type of service. Again, don't always go with the cheapest. Compare notes on each company.

The First Time Homebuyer Series :

First Time Homebuyer Tips : FHA - Conventional - VA - Subprime -- Part 1 of 4

First Time Homebuyer Tips : Getting Qualified & Knowing your Credit -- Part 2 of 4

First Time Homebuyer Tips : FHA, is the best mortgage program? -- Best Programs & Why -- Part 3 of 4

First Time Homebuyer Tips : Understanding the Total Process -- Part 4 of4

Renting vs Buying -- Understanding the difference........ FHA? -- Part 1 of 3

Renting vs Buying -- Showing the difference in $$ -- Part 2 of 3

Renting vs Buying -- Knowing your loan options -- Part 3 of 3

Buying Tips :

What's behind a home inspection.....

Posted by Jeff Belonger -- The FHA Expert.com -- FHA Loans -- FHA mortgages - USDA loans on 06/29/2007 10:33 AM

Comments (17)

home inspections, home warranty, home inspector

This post has been included in New Jersey Information Camden County, NJ Information Cherry Hill, NJ Information

17 Comments on A bad home inspection? Just maybe.....

JUN

2007

Jeff--Good post! Like Realtors and Mortgage Brokers, not all home inspectors are created equal. Be aware of what you are paying for.

Good Post! Budget inspector + budget inspector results = Could hurt the BUDGET later...

It's sad to hear there are slackers in every line of work. This could've been a safety issue at least. Do you have an outcome on your sister and the necessary repairs before she can sell?

Jeff - Thanks for an excellent word of advice to home buyers. I'm sorry your sister and brother-in-law had this experience. Thanks, too for including my article as a reference.

You're so right that home buyers need to give some thought to the services they use. Ususally, buyers can rely on the agent they work with to refer them to reliable companies. Experienced agents have many vendors soliciting our business. Most of us work with people we know who will deliver reliable service to our clients. After all, when we as agents refer, their performance is a reflection on us. It only makes good sense for us to refer to vendors who are at the top of their game. Thanks again for this article.

Teri.... yes, it's not just lenders and realtors that can sometimes give out the wrong information or advise incorrectly. It does usually come down to what you pay for. Not always, but the numbers are against you. Thanks for the compliment.

Susie... I like that.... Budget inspector + budget inspector results = Could hurt the BUDGET later...

In regards to my sister and brother-in-law.... they are now staying, home values have dipped just a tad. And the total package between that and the roof, you were looking at $10,000 plus. Now they are going to build an addition. Besides, they are in a very good area, the kids have friends, and they are right down the street from a small little lake, which they call Beach 1. Thanks for the polite compliment.

Marlene..... my pleasure. I just think people need to not only get good advice from those in the real estate profession, but that they need to ask questions and not just make an appointment.

Overall, you make some good points. Thanks for your input and for the compliment.

Good post Jeff! I hope a lot of consumers read it. I made reference to bad and good Home Inspectors in my Home Inspection Oversights post yesterday and oooooh boy someone in the Home Inspectors group got nasty with me! Although if one read my comments..I did state there are good and bad amongst ALL of us..including Real Estate agents.

Good information Jeff! I have heard more sellers getting a home inspection prior to listing as well.

Vicki.... just trying to educate more people on the home buying process. I'll check out your link a little later. Thanks for the kind words.

Leah.... as much as we like to cut corners, for the several hundred dollars that it might cost, it could save you thousands. Thanks for the comment.

Hi Jeff - Did your sister hire a home inspector to inspect the house before listing it...or was this the buyers home inspector?

Ravi.... I am not really sure where they got the home inspector from. I'll ask when I see them this weekend. Thanks for stopping by.

Jeff, I have seen more of my clients agree with me lately, when I suggest a home inspection to them.

I think you are very correct, I believe there is a quality that goes with a good inspector, where a bad inspector can have you in financial ruins...

Thanks for the post, I'm going to print up this one for my clients.

Tom Weiss

I use 3, my clients can choose any of the 3, all are really good. Shoot lots of pictures and certified by NASHI.

JUN

2007

Just like any line of business, there are good ones, bad ones and most are in between. Always important for consumers to know this critical information.

Thomas..... even though it's a little more money, it should be well worth the investment. And thanks for the comments.

Missy..... giving 3 well respected inspectors is a good thing. Thanks for sharing this.

Tony.... this is so true, just as in mortgages and real estate. And it's part of our job to educate the consumer and to give solid advice. thanks

Good advice, It don't take long to feel out the home inspectors in our area. It seems that new ones come along almost every day. Some don't know how to word their results so as not to kill the deal but still give full disclosure. The best way to find a good inspector is to ask fellow agents.

If a homeowner hires a 'cheap' contractor to work on their home.... even THEY may not know that things weren't done up to code.

I highly recommend an inspection

I have a list of providers of all types of services, that I put in my buyer's folder, upon our first meeting. As required, 3 of everything =)

Smart Choice

Ray....... this seems to happen in the mortgage and the real estate industry. With the help of agents and sometimes the help of loan officers, getting a referral is usually a good way to go. But you will always have some that refer bad individuals. It's just part of how life works. Thanks for your feedback.

Tom...... this does happen and just as Ray and I mentioned, getting a referral from someone that you trust.

And yes, I do recommend a home inspection. Especially since appraisers can only check so much. The inspector will be much more detailed.

Lisa.... this is good, and hopefully it helps those buying. I would love to see how this folder looks. Thanks for sharing this.

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