What is a home Inspection?

A home inspection is a visual inspection of the structure, and major systems of a home,  to find items that are not performing correctly or items that are unsafe.  If a problem, or symptom of a  problem is found, the Home Inspector will include a description of the issue in the written report, and may recommend further evaluation.  This is similar to a General Practitioner Doctor that recommends a specialist.

Why is a home inspection important?

Home Buyers: Emotion often affects a buyer which makes it hard to imagine that there could be any problems with their new prospective home.  A home inspector has a systematic, objective approach to evaluating the home,  to search for potential problems, before you move in.

Home Sellers: More sellers are finding the advantage of having a thorough home inspection prior to listing their home on the market.  First, a home inspection, along with information the seller has about the history of the home, is important for accurate  full disclosure. You will have demonstrated that you have done all you could to reveal any defects within the home. Second, this information will save you money and hassle, by knowing what , if any defects there are now, and not after you have negotiated a price with a buyer.  Sellers could be faced with costly repairs of defects discovered by the buyers home inspection.  Third.  If defects are discovered prior to putting the home on the market, you will have time to shop around for the best estimate from qualified contractors rather than negotiating from a point of who can complete the job prior to closing, or dealing with inflated prices that a buyer may estimate that a repair should cost.

What if the report reveals a problem?

All homes, even new construction, have problems.  Every problem, has a solution. The solution can be from a simple fix of the problem component, to either a repair or an adjustment to the price of the home.  The home inspection only reveals the issue, the buyer, and seller negotiate with the presented information.

What does a home inspection include?

The inspection report will be an organized systematic visual review of the homes, grounds, foundation, basement/crawl space, roof, structure, exterior, garage, kitchen, rooms, bathrooms, the plumbing system, heating/ cooling system, electrical, windows/doors, walls floor and ceilings.

What should I not expect from a home inspection?

A home inspection is NOT a pass /fail inspection.  As indicated above all homes, even new construction, have some problems.   A home inspection is not an appraisal of a homes value.  Nor will a home inspector tell you if you should or should not purchase the home.  Neither will a home inspector give estimates of repairs.

A home inspection is NOT protection, or a guarantee against future failures of system components.  Stuff happens!  Components such as heating/cooling systems, sump pumps can, and will break down.  A home inspection tells you the condition of the component at the time of the inspection. 

A home inspection is NOT a code inspection which verifies compliance with local code. Homes built before code revisions are not obligated to comply with codes for a home built today. Home Inspectors will report findings when it comes to safety concerns that may be in the new code ( such as grounded and GFCI outlets near sinks)  A home inspector thinks SAFETY, not CODE when performing a home inspection.