Things You Must Know About House Inspection
It pays to know more about house inspection than what is generally known. As a smart prospective homebuyer or investor, you should know what things are really involved in a house inspection and what are not.
A house inspection is an actual examination of a house to see if the structure and parts of the house are functioning properly and to check if there are defective parts that need to be repaired.
Every home buyer needs to have a house inspection performed on the property targeted for purchase to prevent future problems related to defective parts and to prevent costly repairs. Usually home buyers become so attached to homes they are viewing they fail to see defective parts that would need very costly repairs.
You need to have a house inspection performed by an impartial party, so you should hire a professional house inspector, and not the house inspector referred by your real estate agent. Anyone who has interest in the sale of the particular house being inspected should not be involved in the house inspection, as concerned parties will be biased towards the sale of the house.
In some states, sellers also need house inspection to comply with home sale regulations.
A professional house inspector evaluates all the major and minor parts and systems of the house, including the air conditioning, heating, insulation, plumbing, electrical and water systems. It also includes inspection of the roof, ceilings, attic, walls, floors, basement, foundation, doors, and windows.
Special inspection procedures, such as inspection for the presence of radon, mold, heat loss and termites are sometimes done by general house inspectors, although some homeowners who are particularly concerned about things such as septic systems hire inspectors specialized in septic systems.
There are things that professional house inspectors do not do: they do not make any recommendation about buying or not buying the house; they do not appraise the value of the house; and they do not take the place of local government building inspectors. The house inspection results into a report that lists what functions well and what does not and makes repair recommendations and safety hazards.
If you are in doubt about a certain part or equipment of the house after house inspection, such as a furnace, you might want to buy a home warranty from a home warranty firm that will perform repairs in case the furnace breaks down or will correct defective components of the house within the warranty period.
