What to Expect with the Home Inspection- A Buyer's Perspective
It's a great thing, buying a home! It's also a frustrating/scary/exciting/happy/etc.... kind of thing. If you are buying a home, definitely GET a HOME INSPECTION. Even if the contract is an As-Is contract (meaning that the Seller will not make any repairs). Even if you think the house "looks good" and is in great shape. Even if it's a NEWLY-Built House.
When you are "in contract" and have a house that you have picked out to buy, there is typically a 5-10 day home inspection period. This is the time when you get any and all inspections of the home. You may find home inspectors in the phone book, on-line, from personal referrals from family/friends, or through your real estate agent. All inspectors have different pricing, education, and experience. While Florida does not yet have any licensing for home inspectors, PLEASE hire an inspector that at least has one or more certifications under his/her belt. The licensing thing may be changing here in Florida soon for inspectors but, basically, today a home inspector could just be getting out of high school or jail, take a class, then be a home inspector next week or month. Yep, sad but true.
So, once you've set the inspection date, you as a Buyer will meet the home inspector there at the home you want to buy and probably will sit and wait for about a 2-hour period while he/she "does the home inspection." Typically, the inspector will hand you their "cover me/my company" paperwork which states that you agree to pay for the home inspection, that you understand that they are merely human and sometimes miss things, that they are conducting a "visual" inspection and won't really be poking/prodding into anything, and that you understand that they either Do or Do Not have "Errors and Omissions" insurance. It is good to ONLY hire an inspector whose company carries lots of "E & O" insurance.
The inspector will check all the major systems of the house as well as all the little things about the house. The major systems include the Roof, Electrical System, Plumbing System, Foundation, and the A/C unit(s). Inspectors also check if the appliances are in working condition, as well as windows, etc. They will probably notice whether a toilet flushes correctly and if a sink/tub drain drains slowly. Whether the home is a new home or an existing home, it's a good idea to get it inspected. I have been to many new homes in which the door latch did not meet up with the door frame to actually close correctly.
When the home inspection is complete, a good inspector will do a general verbal "here's what we've got going on with this house, both good and bad" and walk the Buyer (and sometimes the Seller) to where issues may be and comment on those issues. It is typical to find little things wrong with all houses. It is also a possibility that there may be bigger issues and sometimes major issues with homes. This is usually the time that the inspector will ask to be paid for work rendered for you--the inspection. You will not be issues a report until after you've paid the inspector.
The inspector will probably come up with 2 lists for the Buyer. The first list is a list of "repair items," or items in which the particular item is deficient. The deficiency means that the item is no in the condition that works for the purpose for which the item is intended. Examples would be that there is a hole in the roof (roof not keeping out rain), a broken window (not keeping out wind/rain), or an oven that does not heat (won't heat up food). The second list is a list of cosmetic items or items that may not necessarily need to be "fixed" but may be a good idea to take care of or keep an eye on. Examples of cosmetic items are when there is a stain on the carpet, when there are two different colors of roof shingles, or maybe a cut on the counter-top laminate. UGLY doesn't necessarily count as needing to be fixed. It's just UGLY and the home Seller does NOT need to address or fix ANYTHING that is working for the purpose for which it's intended but just doesn't look right. :)
Depending on the inspector, he/she will likely take pictures of positive and negative aspects of the home, take notes either via paper/pen, an audio recording device, or a stylus/computer to help with keeping track of the features of the home. When the inspector gets back to the office, he/she will write up the report and either e-mail (this is my favorite route to getting the home inspection) or fax the home inspection report to you. Some companies even print out the report on-site, which some Buyers like. I prefer to not spend the extra 30 minutes there waiting for the report to print out, though.
Congratulations! You've just completed the home inspection! It took a couple hours out of your day and a couple hundred dollars out of your pocket.
Okay--A Couple Things:
If your home inspection went bad and it was discovered that there are a LOT of things WRONG with the home, depending on your contract, you may be able to get out of the contract due to the home inspection. If there are major issues wrong with the house, you just saved yourself a lot of headache, providing you declined to purchase the home in writing, AND within the inspection period cancellation deadline. Keep in mind that you will NOT get your home inspection money back. The inspector provided a service and was paid for it. And--forget about getting that money back from the home Seller! It's a true "cost of doing business."
If your home inspection went well--Woo hoo! You buy a house! Keep in mind that, in this case, you will probably find some minor things wrong with the house. A good inspector WILL find some little nit-picky things wrong with the house. BUT--that's a good thing. If they didn't find anything wrong with the house, they probably missed something.
So, if you're in the Orlando area and are a looking for a great home to buy, please do what you're doing now and continue getting more information on the buying process.
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Did you know about the special financing that Orange County or the City of Orlando has for first-time homebuyers?
How about the loan assistance money available for certain career professions such as nurses, teachers, firefighters?
You may be thinking about buying or selling a house right now but we think about and handle real estate transactions all the time; it's our purpose!
Good luck on your home purchase!
On your team,
Lisa Spalding
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