Know the Reasonable House Inspections Expectations
It has always been considered to be both smart and practical for properties to undergo professional house inspections. It does not even matter whether you are selling or buying one. The report that comes with the inspection is important for assessing the true condition of the home.
Home buyers, in particular, will benefit much from having the property they are interested in be inspected. But although you would rely on these inspections to provide you with accurate information regarding the physical state of the property, you might be expecting too much.
So, what are considered to be reasonable expectations? Consider the following:
For starters, you should expect the inspector to be licensed. Usually, an inspector will need to have completed several hours of training before they are granted one.
Your inspector should be able to provide you with the document “standard of practice”, which contains a list if the things that will be included in their house inspections.
An inspection agreement in writing, which is signed by the inspector as well as the person who hired their services. The agreement should outline the limitations of the inspector’s liability.
Buyers should ask for the inspector’s “code of ethics”, a document that prevents the improper influencing of the inspector’s judgment. In New York, this document is usually provided by the professional organization where the inspector belongs to.
Expect the inspector to go through their list of things to inspect and have every detail written down in their report.
The written report should also be comprehensive since all information will be used as basis for the negotiation between seller and buyer.
Inspectors are not required to provide an estimate of repair cost in cases where they found deficiencies in the property.
They could only provide a recommendation or opinion especially if they are qualified to do so. Usually, they will refer you to another contractor who is more qualified.
You should expect a home inspector to be only interested in providing their services and not in the home sale process.
Always remember that only professionals should conduct house inspections and not rely on the untrained opinion of your friends or family. This way, you will be actually saving more money in the long term.
