When you are in the process of buying a home, there is a period of time when you and your agent have the home inspected. The purpose of this is to make sure everything is up to your standards and if not, you can either ask the Seller to repair the items or request money back in the form of a credit or price reduction. But more often then not, people, even agents, think that just a home inspection is enough. After all, they inspect the entire home, right?
Wrong, and here are three reasons why:
- Home Inspectors do not have all the equipment you need: a Plummer has a snake and a Chimney Inspector has a camera to go all the way up a chimney. Since the Home Inspector can only work with what he has, he can only give a report on what he can see. Because of this, he can only give you a basic picture on the condition, not all the details.
- Home Inspector cannot give you bids: Inspections such as for chimneys, sewers, roof, and foundation can provide not only a physical picture, but a financial picture of the home. This is imperative when it comes negotiation time for the repair or credit.
- They are called a General Home Inspector for a reason: These inspectors give you a general overview of your home. Although they do know more than the typical buyer, they give you a big picture of the home, it is up to you to find the little details. Plus, there are times when a home inspector misses something, so having an extra set of specialized eyes never hurts.
Now, I always recommend a General Home Inspection. Not doing one would be foolish and extremely risky. They know the building codes and can help guide you towards what additional inspections should be completed. When it comes to inspections, do not look at it as money wasted, but rather as money invested. Even if there is nothing wrong with the sewer, roof, chimney, foundation, or whatever, if it means spending a couple hundred dollars knowing with almost absolute certain that the home is safe, isn’t that worth knowing?
One response
Very helpful and informative.