I was recently asked should I get a home inspection? This is another of my Michigan home buyer tips. Sometimes as a home buyer the money is tight. Some first time home buyers are looking for a way to save money. Many home buyers ask me should they do a home inspection? The answers is absolutely YES. This is not the place to save money. Home inspectors are worth their weight in gold. They usually have years of experience and training to pick up problems with the home.
When you hire a home inspector there job is to find something what issues the house has. Their loyalty is to you. There is no perfect home. So usually they will find 5 - 15 issues. Some may be small, and some may be major. Every house is different, and even newly built houses may have issues. New home builders do make mistakes. Finding those issues is the home inspectors job. Many times they are little issues that you can fix. Many times they are items that the sellers have lived with for years, but now the building codes have changed. Your home inspector wants you to be aware of what needs to fixed. Many times the home inspector will give you tips on what to do to keep your new home in good repair. It does not matter if you are buying a Lakefront foreclosures in Oakland County Michigan or Home for sale in West Bloomfield Michigan
So how long does a home inspection take? A home inspection can take anywhere from 2 1/2 hours to 4 hours. Your home inspector will inspect all the major systems and items in your house. Some of the many items they will check are
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Roofs
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Crawl spaces and Foundations
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Heating/cooling systems
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Attics and roof spaces
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Plumbing systems
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Electrical Systems
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Appliances
You want the home inspector to take his time. I say he because I have never met a female home inspector yet in Michigan. If your home inspector finds something that they think is wrong with a major part of the house he will recommend that you get a specialist to investigate the problem further. It may be a heating cooling contractor, or a foundation person. Structural issues may require you to get a structural engineer. Many times home inspectors will call in other inspectors to do Termite, Radon, Well, or Septic inspections because it is their specialty.
Does a home inspector inspect everything? Many first time home buyers think that everything in the home gets inspected. A home inspector can only inspect many items visually. They can't drill into areas and leave holes. The home inspector cannot tear down drywall or remove paneling to inspect behind it. They may have special tools and instruments to check the furnace, air conditioners, and furnaces. Yes home inspectors do miss things now and then, but most of the time they are very good. It depends on the inspector.
Your Michigan home inspector is your protection against major money pit issues. You do not need a home that has major issues or that is going cost you more money than you can afford. If you have the skills, the money, and the ability to do the major repairs then you will need to negotiate with the seller to either do the repair or reduce the price of the home you are buying. But you never want to buy a home that has major issues if you cannot afford to fix them or you cannot gget the seller to pay for the repairs.
That is why a home inspector is worth the money you pay. Their goal is to point out the issues of a home both major and minor so you can make a good decision on whether to buy a home, or ask for a reduction in price, or ask for repairs to be done. So get a home inspection done.
I hope this Michigan home buyer tip will help you decide whether to hire a home inspector or not. This is just one of the steps on how to buy a Michigan home.
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