Important Home Inspection Tips
Kevin M. Gregg / TREC License #23822
Best Practice Don’t Buy Without Professional Help!
BEFORE YOU BUY A "PRE-OWNED" HOME
YOU SHOULD:
(1) Eliminate The Risk
You wouldn’t buy a used car without letting a mechanic take a look at it – and in the same vein, you should never shop for a house without hiring a Professional Real Estate Inspector.
A home Inspector is your best friend during the home-buying process. Even if you find a fantastic deal on a house, and it’s in your ideal neighborhood, and you’re ready to close the deal immediately, you should hire a Licensed Professional to take a second look at the house.
Why? Because licensed professional inspectors are able to catch common issues that may escape the attention of even the most detail-oriented home buyer. We do this for a living – so we can always identify issues that may get past you.
This is the only way you can be sure that there is nothing significantly wrong with the property you are selling.
It also gives you a chance to fix any home inspection issues before you put the home up on the market. Knowing how to prepare for a home inspection is one of the critical elements in making sure you avoid problems with your sale.
Without a doubt, the buyer of your home will do their own home inspection, so it only makes sense to correct any known issues before a for sale sign hits your lawn!
(2) Don't Buy Blind - The Failure To Disclose
State laws vary, but most sellers are required to disclose material facts, including anything they know to be wrong with the home. If a seller possesses knowledge, for example, that tree roots often creep into the sewer line and need to be removed from time to time, that fact needs to be disclosed. It could mean the sewer line should be replaced, and the buyer might want to obtain a sewer inspection.
Because home inspections are handled by a third party trained to assess homes (Professional Inspectors), they are more thorough and detailed than anything sellers might chose to disclose. It's typical that home inspections will include information that was not disclosed—often because the sellers did not know about it.
While home inspections serve as a check against sellers failing to disclose relevant information, sellers still can be sued by buyers who find out about a problem after the sale has closed. These lawsuits often include more than just the sellers and list their real estate agents and brokerages as defendants.
(3) Beware of The Cheap or Bargain Inspectors
If the inspector is doing three inspections a day, he’s probably not spending the time needed to do a complete job. A complete thorough inspection is going to take around 3 to 3.5 hours. Anything less and you’re just getting a drive-by inspection.
A full-time Professional Inspector has developed the eyes, ears, and nose for hunting down problems. Part-time home inspectors simply don’t have the time in the field to develop that radar.
(4) Get Your Home Inspection From The Owner Of The Company:
Nobody works harder for you, the client, than the owner of the company! The success of his/her business depends on exceeding your expectations for quality and professionalism each and every time. You just can’t expect that continuous level of service from “employee inspectors!”
Be sure to get an inspection from the owner of the company because he has a vested interest in ensuring your Total Satisfaction!
BEFORE YOU BUY A "NEW" HOME
YOU SHOULD:
- (1) Ask the builder: If they will allow your own licensed inspector to inspect the house in phases as well as a final inspection. See what their attitude is. Good builders usually welcome outside inspectors as a help for them to discover errors or honest mistakes that they might miss. Some builders will try to throw up obstacles to outside inspection. If a builder tells you that they have their own inspectors and therefore you don't need your own inspection, you had better be very careful.
- (2) Ask the builder: If they will show the building plans to your inspector. If they don't, why not? What do they have to hide? An inspector on a construction phase inspection will need those plans and schedules to the check that measurement are correct and that the proper materials have been used.
- (3) Ask the builder: If they belong to the BBB or the Greater Houston Builder's Association.
* Additional Tips: Energy-Saving Tips
