Think You Don't Need a Home Inspection...Think Again!

Amy,

I can relate to this! I had a client who didn't believe in them, but when they moved in, there were several things wrong and they contacted me right away to complain. Couldn't say "I told you so"!

That was a funny movie, Amy. And thanks for the post!

Before home inspectors, when electrical, plumbing, foundation or carpentry items came up on a property, you got an electrician, plumber, foundation guy, carpenter to cruise in to tell buyer, seller, broker about the remedy options, the seriousness of the concern. The professional that that is all they do..that area of expertise in the trades.

I have seen home inspectors that give you a big fat Bob Vila endorsed book on what is a soffit, sill plate, chase for wiring and plumbing, etc. And after the Home Illustrated insertion, there is a very skimpy one page check list and an hour tops was spent at the property. On the other hand, know a guy who spends four hours at the property to inspect and he was a structure engineer degree holder, worked in the building industry for decades. Big difference in the "home inspection".

Great blog Amy.  I'm always amazed when a buyer decides to "save" the $400 or $500 by skipping the inspections.  I always suggest every type possible, from the basic "home inspection" to pest, septic, fireplace, everything.  Even with all those you're still looking at less than $1000.  Not having inspections is what my Grandpa would call "Penny-wise and dollar foolish".  Hmmm....maybe a blog idea?

good Morning Amy,

Thanks for the post. Have a great day.

It's the right thing to do and the right thing to recommend inspections. I always tell buyers that they are not meant as an opportunity for a "laundry list" of repairs, but for their protection against true major defects.

Thanks for including the trailer - I saw that movie years ago. Still funny. In our area, building inspectors are used regularily. My biggest concern is that their liability seems to be negligible. Often they are only liable for the cost of their report - $400 give or take. We should be so lucky when we make mistakes or just plain screw up. Our clients use inspectors to provide some peace of mind that they haven"t bought a "Money Pit", but there are times that I really question the value of the inspection. Some of the things I have seen in reports make me shake my head. I would really like to see inspectors be on the hook more for their mistakes or for killing a deal when they scared away a buyer because of mistakes in their report. Last year in BC one inspector was taken to task by the courts. The inspector told a couple purchasing a million dollar home that it would take less than $20,000 to fix the defects. It was actually in the range of $225,000 and the inspector was successfully sued for the difference. Maybe that will set a bit of a precedent. Thanks again for including the trailer. May all your sales see a closing. Have a great day.

By doing a home inspection, you have done the most important step in purchasing a home.  Excellent post.

Excellent post Amy.............thanks for pointing out to everyone the importance of a home inspection..........I Suggested this for a Feature...............great work and great clip..........I like adding humor to something so serious.

Great post.  To add to the other posts, I always suggest paying to have the sewer lines examined with a camera in the older homes with mature trees.  Trees are beautiful but a sewer line repair is incredibly expensive.  It's only about 250 bucks but it can save thousands, not to mention how devastating it would be to have a sewer back-up in a basement full of new buyers furniture. 

Spectacular job making the point of how important a home inspection is, Amy. Anyone who doesn't have one performed is just playing with fire and had no one to blame but themselves.