Why Is a Home Inspection Important?

Are Home Inspections Necessary?

A home inspection is something typically only thought about when buying or selling a home. A home inspector is a licensed professional that will come out and inspect the home from the foundation to the roof to give the buyer/seller a detailed report on what things may need to be addressed in the home.

What Does an Inspector Do?

A home inspector spends a few hours looking over the house to look for any repairs or problems that may need to be addressed in the home to give you an overall unbiased

professional opinion on the relative condition of the home. A typical home inspection will consist of these major checks

throughout the home.

Major Checkpoints• Foundation – They typically crawl under the home in the crawl space (where possible) to inspect the

framework and foundation for any signs of problems.

• Exterior – They will inspect the exterior of the home, checking the siding for signs of damage, rot, or maintenance required. They will also look at the eaves of the home for signs of damage. They essentially take a close look at the home for any signs of damage or potential problems.

• Roof – They will inspect the roof for signs of damage that can easily be overlooked by the average home buyer. They will check for damage or areas that may need repair or maintenance.

• Electrical – They will check the electrical and the various systems involved in the electrical of the home and take notes on anything they find that may need attention.

• HVAC – They will evaluate all the mechanical systems in the home for function, maintenance, and in some cases offer an estimate on the lifespan of the systems and give you an expected life expectancy or cost to replace.

• Plumbing – The inspector will look over the plumbing for any signs of leaks, maintenance required, or potential problems.

• Insulation – The inspector typically will get up in the attic space to check the insulation of the home and look for signs of damage or things that may need to be addressed later on that a typical buyer might miss.

How Does an Inspection Help Me?A home inspection will give you a detailed report on the overall condition of the home so that you are fully aware of anything that will need to be repaired, maintained, or replaced. It can often times give you some things to use during the negotiation process of home buying; if costly problems are discovered during a home inspection, you can often times negotiate the price to come down to compensate, or get credit to make the repairs yourself, or even have a contingency that these major things be fixed prior to closing on the home. Remember, when it comes to any of your home improvement needs you can always count on your friends at www.tenlist.com