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4 Important Questions to Ask Your Home Inspector

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4 Important Questions to Ask Your Home Inspector

Purchasing a home is the single most important purchase you will make in your life so it only seems right to ensure that you follow all the steps carefully when doing so. While most home purchases will require you to have an appraisal, in some cases you are given the option to waive a home inspection. While it may save you a few hundred dollars to skip the inspection, it could in turn end up costing you thousands upon thousands of dollars down the line. While having a home inspection completed will be helpful regardless, there are a few questions you should be sure to ask your inspector in order to get the most out of your inspection as possible.

Ask About Structural Defects

Having an honest and well-rated home inspector is ideal and will give you the confidence that there aren’t any major problems that may be underplayed on the report, however, if any of the following are found during your home inspection be sure to have them addressed immediately as they could cause both health and safety hazards down the line: Mold of any kind, Lead Paint (be sure garages, mud rooms and even attics are also checked), Structural defects, or Roof Leaks (leads to mold problems). These are all serious problems and you should never move forward with a home purchase without either having these problems addressed/fixed or be sure to have full knowledge of the risks they may cause.

In addition to the above mentioned potential problems, there are a few questions you can ask your inspector to ensure you not only understand your report, but that you know how to move forward efficiently with your purchase. The top 4 questions to remember when having your home inspection completed are as follows.

Normal Wear and Tear

Which problems on the home inspection report are caused by normal wear and tear? This may seem simple, however, what may look like a big problem to you, the buyer, may actually just be caused by continuous use, in addition, it may look like there are dozens of “problems” on the report when in reality some things may just be a little worn from use and not in need of immediate repair due to damages. By prioritizing what is simple wear and tear your “fix it” list will diminish.

Is there a Home Warranty?

Are there any home warranties being transferred? Many homeowners purchase a home warranty policy, in some cases, this warranty can be terminated after the sale of a home but in other cases the warranty can be transferred to the new owners for a set length of time. Regardless of if the warranty is being terminated or transferred, ask to get documents of all the home warranty repairs so you can see what has been serviced and when-this will allow you to get an idea of any repairs that may be coming up soon and their potential cost through a warranty contract.

More: How to make the most of your home inspection

Recommendations

Can you recommend an expert for this? If you see a large problem or costly repair on your home inspection, ask your inspector if they have an expert in that specific field that they can recommend. While most home inspectors are very knowledgeable, sometimes it helps to have an expert take a peak at a potential problem to better educate yourself of the problem, repair and cost.

Safety Issues

Are there any safety hazards? This could mean many different things including potential gas leaks, mold presence, bad electrical wiring, water leaks in the attic or under sinks, etc. all of which can cause extreme safety hazards. In addition to a safety hazard, these things can also cause problems when it is time for your loan to be approved for underwriting, so ensure that if these problems are present, they are all repaired prior to your underwriting to avoid your loan from not being approved.

No home is perfect, so even with a good inspector, a brand new build, or a fully renovated home, you are bound to have a few hurdles to jump, the key is understanding when to jump and how high. Once you’ve found the house you want to call home, check reviews, and ask friends, family or your realtor if they have any recommendations for a great home inspector.

More: What to Expect at the home inspection 

Call us for recommendations on reliable and trustworthy home inspectors in Sunset Beach NC. We want you to love your home long after the purchase and understanding the home inspection and your property will give you peace of mind.

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What to Expect at the Inspection of Your New Home

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You’ve done it! You’ve pulled the trigger on an offer and the seller has accepted! Now what? Once the seller accepts your offer, even after there has been some negotiation, the transaction moves on to inspection. This is where your earnest money will be deposited and you or your real estate agent can set up the inspection. You are free to choose whomever you want as your inspector but often times your buyer’s agent will have a list of references and reputable home inspectors for you to choose from. It is not mandatory for you or your agent to be present during the home inspection but it is strongly recommended that you attend.What to Expect at the Inspection of Your New Home

Home inspectors know a broad range of information about a lot of different things when it comes to the house. They usually are not experts on every detail of the home. If they recommend having an additional inspection, such as to the roof or to the septic system, it’s important to listen. Some home inspectors do know a lot about many different features of the home, especially if they have been in the business for several years. The more experienced the inspector, the more trustworthy their information and advice can be.

It is always important to accompany your home inspector throughout the property asking questions and learning about your home. Remember, this is one of the most expensive investments you’ll ever purchase and it’s important to know as much as you can about the property, protecting it, and maintaining it. Home inspectors will issue a report of all of their findings which then you can use to negotiate further requests for the seller.

A good rule of thumb is that if there is a lot of issues wrong with the house and you “ask for all of them to be repaired you may get nothing” and end up with the rejected or terminated real estate contract altogether. Discuss your findings with your real estate agent to determine the best way to approach the inspection report and request addendum. If there are hazardous or unsafe items, large problem areas or issues that should definitely be addressed before the home is even sold, these are items to certainly ask for. Simple items such as a missing light switch plate or holes in the walls from picture frames are probably not worth losing the deal over.

You have several choices on the inspection addendum:

  • You can accept the home inspection as is and move the transaction on to closing
  • You can request money off of the purchase price to cover any repairs after the closing
  • You can request certain repairs or replacements be completed before closing
  • You can simply reject the entire inspection and terminate the transaction walking away with your earnest money deposit.

The inspection doesn’t have to be a scary event but it is something that is critical to loving and appreciating your new home. The home inspection will also be paid out of pocket at the time of the inspection. Home inspections can run anywhere from $300-$800 depending on the type of inspection needed. Additional inspections from specialists can run as high as $1200 depending on what they are inspecting.

Finding out all you can about your new property can help you make wise financial decisions on repairs or major replacements in the future. If you have more questions feel free to give us a call at any time.

Tina SaporitoThank you to Tina Saporito for her guest post this week. Tina is an expert in Palm Desert real estate in helping buyers and sellers in her area.

How to Make the Most of Your Home Inspection

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The home inspection is then vital time for homeowners to understand and learn as much about their property as possible. We recommend an urge all homebuyers to have a professional home inspection from someone that is skilled and experienced as well as licensed and bonded. In order for our home buyers to get the most out of their inspections, it’s important to listen, ask questions and even take notes. Here are some key points to know in order to make the most of your home inspection.How to Make the Most of Your Home Inspection

#1. Understand what to expect from your home inspector.

As a real estate agent, we can recommend an inspector, however, it is your decision on whom you choose. You may get recommendations from your mortgage lender, attorney or even a friend. You want to check out the inspector’s credentials and reputation and ask how many inspections they’ve actually completed. Verify that your home inspector will provide a written report after the inspection and asked to see a sample report and how long it will take until you receive your inspection report.

#2. Prepare for your inspection.

We urge all homebuyers to attend the inspection to learn how to best take care of their new home. Before the inspection, you can look over the interior and exterior of the property for potential problems in order to ask your inspector questions upon review. Look for dark spots in the basement, wet spots under sinks, odd or mold the smells and odors and review the sellers disclosure form for any items that need to be carefully inspected.

#3. What you can do during the inspection.

The inspector will look for major issues such as foundation problems, a leaky roof, electrical or plumbing issues but you’ll also want to ask key questions during the inspection. These include knowing where the water shut off valve is, the gas shut off and how to properly maintain the property. Home inspectors can also offer tips on the life expectancy of particular appliances and materials.

If the inspector finds issues that are of grave concern it’s best to discuss how to proceed with your real estate broker or agent. Attending the inspection is crucial to understanding as much as you can about your new home. Know what to expect, ask questions and be prepared to review the report with your agent.

Need a home inspector? Give us a call. And you still need a professional inspection on new construction homes as well!

Can a Seller’s Inspection Response Kill a Sale?

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Many sellers dread the home inspection. Things are moving along great; the contract is accepted, the buyer’s loan is preapproved and qualified, the appraisal is ordered, and then the title and home inspection are scheduled. This is where many sales thrive or die. What happens if the buyer has a laundry list of issues they want to be resolved after the inspection? The power lies on both sides of the coin and unbelievably, you have some control.Can a Seller’s Inspection Response Kill a Sale?

First, a home inspector should be unbiased when investigating construction, materials, and stability of a home. They should report accurately on anything questionable. After the inspection, the buyer needs to decide whether they should proceed or walk away.

Inspections are helpful for buyers by helping them to understand what they are getting into when they purchase a home since this is one of the largest investments made and is important to understand all the details of the property itself. Even with earnest money deposited to the Title Company, escrow or broker, this money can be returned if the buyer rejects the home inspection and terminates the transaction. The seller can also kill the deal.

Read more: 5 Things to Check Before Buying a House

The seller’s responsibility to the inspection report comes in three options: accept the report, agreeing to complete any repairs or by addressing any concerns; negotiate for any repairs; or reject the inspection altogether, thus terminating the transaction. It is important for sellers to remember that this is a real estate decision, not an emotional one. It may not be easy to curb a seller’s reaction when it could mean the completion or death of the transaction. If the home inspector finds very few problems, sellers are more likely to correct them for the benefit of the sale. If there are many small issues, the seller may feel the buyer is nitpicking and get frustrated with the inspection report. The buyer’s agent should inform the buyer that if they ask every little thing be fixed, it might only frustrate the seller. It is important to negotiate and consider the larger issues that may be hazardous or of serious concern as sellers are more likely to fix these issues.

Related: 10 Pre-inspection Checks for all Homeowners

All buyers, sellers and their agents need to discuss and  negotiate the issues raised in the inspection report and what could make or break a deal. Both parties should consider if a deal should die over something as simple as patching a hole in a window screen. The biggest tip in the home buying process is to keep emotions out of the negotiation process. Getting emotionally involved, frustrated or even insulted, has been the demise of many real estate transactions.

To avoid losing out on a great deal, contact our office today. We can help you negotiate and close on the right house for you.

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