For Home Buyers/Sellers
You should not be surprised that most states and cities do not implement strict regulations covering the home inspection sector. Thus, you may have a hard time finding and hiring qualified home inspectors. The task may me further difficult because surprisingly, there are just too many home inspection service providers operating in many communities. How could you be sure you are dealing with the right and qualified inspector? Here are several guidelines.
Ask for reliable opinions. You might start the search by asking your relatives, friends, or colleagues if they could recommend any home inspector. Nothing beats actual experience. You may know if a friend in the past encountered a problem about home inspection. Likewise, you may hear about good inspectors, who did not cause any problem eventually. From the list you may get, go and conduct a background or satisfaction check.
You could also ask the opinion of a trustworthy real estate agent. Property agents of course work closely with home inspectors. Everyday, agents and inspectors meet, in different cases and homes. That is why it is just logical that real estate agents know who among the home inspectors are good and who are not. Ask for at least three recommendations or references from an agent.
You may start asking yourself questions the moment you do a background and professional check on any inspector. First, where was the home inspector trained? Stay away from inspectors who could not tell about his training. He might just be a poser or a con artist. Is the inspector attending continuing education classes? Is he a member of any professional organization? If he is, what are the membership requirements? Is the inspector carrying an Errors and Omissions insurance? If the answer is affirmative to all the questions, then you have found the right and qualified home inspector.
Another way to find a qualified and good inspector is to look at the inspection coverage. You should ask for a copy of a sample inspection report. It should be about 20 to 50 pages long, including colored photographs to show actual home defects. Find out what systems the inspection covers. You should beware about inspectors who exclude too many services. Are there specific and important services that would require additional charges? There are specific areas that general inspectors normally should not cover like sewerage, septic tanks, molds, foundation, electrical system, air conditioning and heating, soil tests, and chimney, among others.
Lastly, before hiring any home inspector, determine the requirements of your lender or the local government. You surely would not want to spend another few dollars for a different home inspection that is not covered by your general home inspector. It is best to avoid hiring specialists to do specific inspection, but if there really is a need, then go ahead especially if the home to be inspected is really old.Common Things Home Inspectors Usually Look Into
Are you out in the market to sell your home, then a home inspector is what you need to check out your home and here are the most common things home inspectors usually look into.
Generally, the primary task of home inspectors is to examine and determine the present condition of a house or real estate property, to make sure if the house needs to have improvements or need minor or major repairs. This process is also conducted to ensure the protection and reliability of a house being sold in the market, which ultimately redounds to the assurance of protection and safety to the client or customer.
The home inspection process can also be beneficial in determining if proper construction or repair standards have been observed.
Professional home inspectors are carefully trained, and in the case of most regions in the United States, most home inspectors need to have a license in order for them to carry out their tasks.
After the home inspection process, a home inspection report is required as a pre-requisite before a home can either be bought or sold.
A home inspector also has equipment used to assess structural integrity and longevity of most materials a house is made of, which is a key indicator whether the property being examined is indeed safe or livable.
A common checklist among home inspectors include the examination of the following:
For the exterior part, it would include the home exterior and the surrounding perimeter. This is so since it has to be checked if the house is standing on solid ground or is standing close to environmental factors that could affect the structure's integrity.
The building foundation is also being inspected to determine if the foundation meets standard requirements or is appropriate for the structure. This would also be followed by a check on the exterior home walls, roof coverings, flashings and gutters, as well as plumbing fixtures.
For the interior of the home, a home inspector would surely not miss inspecting the basement, which include even the crawl space that form part of the basement, including the attic, if there is any.
A home inspector will initially check the condition of the home's interior, especially focusing on areas where there could be signs of structural stress or decay, as well as inspect if there is a need for minor or major repairs.
This will also include checking for quality of insulation for the home, as well as the existing electrical system and visible plumbing fixtures. The garage is also one area that should not be missed out during the inspection process, as it also forms part of the house structure.
There is no pass or fail rating during a home inspection process and it is different from a municipal or regulatory home inspection, that determines whether the local building code of a certain state or territory is complied with.
The value of a good home inspector and his professional services is not primarily focused on regulatory compliance, but is more of a process to protect the buyer or seller from substandard or faulty construction practices.
It is key for every homeowner to know common things home inspectors usually look into, because it will not only save you the time, but also the inconvenience of having a home inspector come back and check for what has been initially reported that required action and attention.Different Types of inspectors
For instance, your home inspector might not be able to fully inspect or gauge the air conditioning system of the home. He might be lacking enough useful knowledge about electrical lines and air conditioning. The same goes for the chimney. Your general home inspector might not be able to tell if flue liners and bricks might already be crumbling.
The subject of home inspection might surprise you because there are actually specific areas involved. As such, your general home inspector could still be of great help, but in certain cases or instances, he might refer you to the services of other specialized home inspectors. Hold your breath; there are more than 20 of them. Some of those types of home inspectors specialize in:
Electrical system - The general home inspector could tell you there might be a need to replace an old electrical box. However, he could not be certain if the box is still complying with city or state code nor could he recommend repair jobs. You would need the services of a home inspector specializing in electrical systems.
Air conditioning and heating system - A specialist could very well tell if your heating or air conditioning system needs repair or replacement. The general home inspector might not be able to find out cracks in the heat exchanger or any malfunction.
Chimney - General home inspectors should admit that they are not knowledgeable enough to inspect old chimneys in particular. Bricks and flue liners in the chimney interior might already be crumbling. A specialized chimney inspector could also tell if smoke is being discharged properly, and then recommend solutions if not.
Wood destroying pests - Specialists know more about wood-destroying pests, which general home inspectors could not easily discern and check. It is important to identify specific pests so that specific solutions could be applied.
Home foundation - A foundation engineer could immediately tell if your home has a faulty foundation or it is sliding. General home inspectors could not tell if your home is actually built on a raised foundation or on a slab. Your home foundation is important because the life-span and overall safety of the home depends on it.
Soil stability - There is a need to test the soil beneath and around the house. Inspection on soil stability is particularly important especially if the house of standing on a hillside. No homebuyer would want a home that could slide away in the middle of a rainstorm. Also, several areas may be prone to soil contamination.
Asbestos - The element is one of the most health-risky. Unfortunately, many home constructions in the past used asbestos in building structures. Your general home inspector may not be able to tell if there are asbestos materials in an old home.
Services of the general home inspector are still reliable and accurate. However, in special and specific cases, specialists' services would be required. This is more possible when the home to be inspected is already old.
Comments(0)