Today I would like to discuss home inspections. The title of the inspection and the way it is presented can be pretty misconceiving. I remember the first time I purchased a home. I was told I would need a home inspection. It is where a professional will find all the problems with a home. As a young woman I assumed that this meant they would find all of the problems. This turned out to be false.
During my first home inspection they missed a number of issues that within the first few months had to be fixed. It can be costly and time consuming but you may want a few additional people to come out. After purchasing my first house I had learned that my ducts and insulation were out of code. That cost me $3000 to get them up to code. I found out through the course of replacing light fixtures that additions were improperly wired. I also found out that a very large 500 sq ft addition did not have attic access or ventilation.
When bringing in a home inspector find one that is highly rated and has years of experience in construction. This will be beneficial; however, it will not guarantee they will find everything.
If a home has additions and they were added before permits were a big deal, or they were not completed with permits I would recommend bringing an electrician. The specialists I highly recommend having come out is a roofing company, electrical company, and HVAC at the least. You will likely have to pay for the time of the electrician, and you may have to pay for the HVAC depending on who you go with. I recommend a roof person because they know what they are trained to know what to look for. FYI Roof Salesmen are not school trained. They are normally sent out with another salesmen, they are trained what to look for and then let loose. This means there is still room for human error. My last boyfriend was a salesmen for roofs and flooring. HVAC is a little better. Companies who do this are to provide a licensed and certified technician. They will be better suited to find leaks, out of code insulation, dirty coils and other issues your home inspector could miss.
Depending on where you are located termite inspections, mold inspections and sink hole statistics are important things to look at as well.
Even though many people are home owners, there are those who are looking to make the easiest improvements or repairs possible. I wish we could expect people to take pride in the home repairs they complete;but that is not always the case. Additionally FHA and VA inspectors have higher standards than normally required by a bank providing a standard loan. Even with these higer standards things can get missed. The inspectors they send out are not always impressive. As much of a safety net as it may seem, human error is still a factor.
The homes I have purchased are located in Alabama and Florida. Please keep in mind that each state is different. They have different requirements and different qualifications. Each year the requirements change and what I know may no longer be relavent. I want to help those that have questions and do not know where to start. I love google and I google all of my questions and concerns and hope for the best answers possible. I apologize if I am not an amazing writer; however, I hope you can see past that and have a better understanding of the steps in the home buying process.
As always thank you for stopping by. I hope this has been helpful.
Danie
During my first home inspection they missed a number of issues that within the first few months had to be fixed. It can be costly and time consuming but you may want a few additional people to come out. After purchasing my first house I had learned that my ducts and insulation were out of code. That cost me $3000 to get them up to code. I found out through the course of replacing light fixtures that additions were improperly wired. I also found out that a very large 500 sq ft addition did not have attic access or ventilation.
When bringing in a home inspector find one that is highly rated and has years of experience in construction. This will be beneficial; however, it will not guarantee they will find everything.
If a home has additions and they were added before permits were a big deal, or they were not completed with permits I would recommend bringing an electrician. The specialists I highly recommend having come out is a roofing company, electrical company, and HVAC at the least. You will likely have to pay for the time of the electrician, and you may have to pay for the HVAC depending on who you go with. I recommend a roof person because they know what they are trained to know what to look for. FYI Roof Salesmen are not school trained. They are normally sent out with another salesmen, they are trained what to look for and then let loose. This means there is still room for human error. My last boyfriend was a salesmen for roofs and flooring. HVAC is a little better. Companies who do this are to provide a licensed and certified technician. They will be better suited to find leaks, out of code insulation, dirty coils and other issues your home inspector could miss.
Depending on where you are located termite inspections, mold inspections and sink hole statistics are important things to look at as well.
Even though many people are home owners, there are those who are looking to make the easiest improvements or repairs possible. I wish we could expect people to take pride in the home repairs they complete;but that is not always the case. Additionally FHA and VA inspectors have higher standards than normally required by a bank providing a standard loan. Even with these higer standards things can get missed. The inspectors they send out are not always impressive. As much of a safety net as it may seem, human error is still a factor.
The homes I have purchased are located in Alabama and Florida. Please keep in mind that each state is different. They have different requirements and different qualifications. Each year the requirements change and what I know may no longer be relavent. I want to help those that have questions and do not know where to start. I love google and I google all of my questions and concerns and hope for the best answers possible. I apologize if I am not an amazing writer; however, I hope you can see past that and have a better understanding of the steps in the home buying process.
As always thank you for stopping by. I hope this has been helpful.
Danie
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