The Home Inspection - You Shouldnt Buy A House Without One
Home inspections are done after your offer has been accepted. Generally, you make an offer contingent on the property passing its home inspection. Basically, the home inspection is to protect you and the seller in case there happens to be something wrong with the house. It should give you a good idea of what you are about to purchase, what problems you may encounter, and allow you time to negotiate the sales contract with the new information that you have gained about the house.
A thorough home inspection would include checking electrical, plumbing, gas and water lines in addition to individual outlets, light sockets and faucets. The foundation, roof, windows, siding, attic or crawl space would be inspected. The air conditioning/heat unit should be inspected. In other words, a thorough overall inspection of the house should be done.
The home inspector will arrive with a home inspection checklist or a home inspection worksheet. These detailed documents will list every item that needs to be inspected. Go to Google and type "free home inspection checklist" to see the extent of what the home inspector will be looking at.
No house is perfect, so expect to have at least a few potential problems uncovered by the inspector. Once the inspection has been completed and you have reviewed the report, you need to decide if any of the uncovered problems need to be fixed and by whom. You can ask the seller to fix the problems -- which the seller may or may not do.
When negotiating with the seller, consider what type of market you are in --- has the market been slow? Are the houses sitting on the market a long time? Or are there multiple offers on houses within hours or days?
If the real estate market has been slow and the house has been on the market for a while, you should be in a stronger position to negotiate with the seller regarding the issues brought up by the home inspection.
On the other hand, if the house has multiple offers, the seller is in the stronger position. If you really want the house, think carefully about your options before accepting it without the seller fixing the problems. Is the problem bad enough that you would want to pass up on the house all together? Or are they problems that can be fixed relatively easily?
Think of your financial situation. For instance, if you are getting a good deal on the house you are looking at, would it be less expensive to replace the roof yourself on this house than to lose the house to another buyer and possibly end up paying more for a house that does not need a new roof?
An important aspect to remember, is that, as with all people you may hire for a job, home inspectors come with a wide range of qualifications. Ask your realtor for recommendations and then ask the home inspector yourself about their qualifications, methods, and approach. Ask to see the home inspection checklist the inspector will use and ask how long the inspection will take. A thorough inspection should take several hours or more to complete.
Use the information in the inspection to make a sound, well- grounded decision about the house you are planning to buy. Whatever you do, don't let your heart lead you to make a poor decision when your head is telling you to look at the facts and move along. The home inspection is just one more tool that will help you find and purchase the home that is right for you.
Be sure you know the good and the bad about the house you're about to buy. Don't buy your house until you have a thorough home inspection completed by a qualified inspector. Get more home buying help tips here.
Source: www.articlesbase.com