When a home is being bought or sold, there is most often a home inspection involved as a part of the sale process. A home inspection is usually a short-term examination of the condition of the home and its systems, conducted by a qualified home inspector. Typically, a home inspector is looking for five very important parts of the home to be in working order, and will report if they are not up to par.
Your real estate agent can assist you in a home inspection by interpreting for you each of the inspector’s recommendations. The top five things that home inspectors are looking at during a home inspection are the foundation, the roof, the plumbing, the electrical system and the HVAC system. The inspector’s report on the condition of these items can be a potential deal-breaker in some situations.
Inspections cost several hundred dollars, but are well worth it to acquire an overview of a potential home. Inspections can reassure you that the house is sound. They can alert you to small issues that are easily fixed. And they can warn you of bigger issues that may cause you to walk away from a home because a problem would have cost too much to resolve.
Inspectors can only inspect what is easily accessible, so make sure that access to basements and attics is available on the day of inspection. Once you’ve received your inspection report you can go over it with your realtor to decide if the house is still a viable option.