Do I Need a Home Inspection in Columbus Ohio?
Buying a home is a large purchase and right now has never been a better time to buy. Still I am always surprised when after looking at all the homes for sale my clients look at me and ask, "Do I really need a home inspection?" My answer is, YES! My answer is so YES that if you decide the answer is NO, I have a form that I'm going to ask you to sign that simply states, I thought you should have a home inspection, and you decided not to. I've been through a lot of homes and can often point out areas of concern, but I know I'm not the expert.
Buying a home is a big investment and the home inspection is not the place to try to save a few a dollars. It doesn't matter if your new home is in Pickerington Ohio, Reynoldsburg Ohio, or Canal Winchester Ohio. This is your chance to really get familiar with the home you are buying. A good home inspector will be glad to answer your questions and explain their findings to you. It's your best opportunity to find any unknown issues so that they can be dealt with before you own the home. It's easier to ask a seller to make repairs before they sell you the house. Little bit harder getting them to fix things after.
There are two types of inspections that I strongly recommend. The first is the general home inspection. This inspection includes having the inspector look at almost everything visible in the home- the roof, the crawl space, the electrical, the plumbing, the appliances, the structure...etc. A general home inspection of this type normally costs around $300 - $400. The second is a pest inspection. If you didn't know, there are creepy crawly thing living around our homes and some of them eat wood. It's cheaper to find them now than later. This type of inspection generally costs about $50. You can also test for radon, lead paint, and mold. I'll save these issues for a later day.
Lastly, I always recommend that you attend your home inspection. The reason I say that is that although you'll have a report of all of the home inspector's findings, nothing takes the place of seeing the issues first hand. You are much more likely to have a firm understanding of the issue with the inspector there to discuss it with you. They generally take about 3 hours to complete depending on the size, age, and complexity of the home. I'll admit that if the house is in great condition, it can be a very boring 3 hours. I do always attend the last half hour of the home inspection as a Buyers agent to make sure I understand the issues as well.
If you are in need of a qualified home inspector, contact us by web or phone and we will be happy to share our list of home inspectors who have a proven track record with our clients.
This post from Mickey DiPiero at www.HomeFactGuide.com.
Comments(1)