Ultimate Home Inspection Checklist
Table Of Content
A home inspection usually takes place right after a seller accepts an offer from a buyer. After both parties sign the purchase agreement, the home goes into escrow. The home inspection typically happens before or during the same time as the home appraisal. A warning is issued after an inspector documents violations that must be corrected by a certain date or within a specified number of days from receipt of the inspection report. Hubert Miles is a licensed home inspector (RBI# 2556) with more than two decades of experience in inspection and construction.
How Much Does A Home Inspection Cost?
The home inspection is an important part of the homebuying or selling process. If you’re a homebuyer, a home inspection will help protect you against buying a house with significant defects, like a bad foundation or leaky roof. As a home seller, a pre-listing home inspection will help you see all the repairs you’ll need to make before you put it on the market, which helps with a smoother closing and faster sale. The objective of a visual inspection by a home inspector in California is to find any potential problems or flaws that might affect the property’s safety or value. A certified home inspector actively assesses various sections of the house during a home inspection in California.
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When the seller accepts your offer to purchase the home, the agreement becomes a pending sale. During the next couple of weeks, your lender will want to verify the value and condition of the house. While the house may look in fine condition to you, it’s what’s beyond the surface, or factors that you don’t know are problematic, that can cause the biggest issues.
What does a home inspector not look at?
The units may be tested, and temperature differences may be measured to ensure good operation. Homes with crawl spaces in areas where there’s high humidity, like Seattle, WA, should be strong contenders for a crawl space inspection. As moisture condensates on surfaces in the crawl space, mold, wood rot, and even termite infestations can occur due to the space becoming increasingly humid. A professional will identify signs of a rotting crawl space and save you from making a costly mistake. A general home inspection is almost always recommended for anyone buying a home.
You can do your home inspection; however, it should not stand in place of a professional inspection. A DIY home inspection checklist can help you examine homes to purchase during the buying process’s preliminary phases. If the inspection reveals issues that the buyer doesn’t want to deal with and the buyer and seller can’t reach an agreement, the seller will have to put the house back on the market. When a house goes under contract, the MLS (multiple listing service) will show that it was a pending sale or under contract. It can be a stressful process for both sides as buyers and sellers await the results and then negotiate repairs or other issues that were revealed during the inspection.
The average cost of a home inspection ranges from $281 – $402, but it can vary based on the location, age and size of a home. When you contact home inspectors to schedule an inspection, they should be able to provide a cost estimate. When your home inspector completes the inspection, he or she should provide your report in about a week.
Ideally, the second inspector won’t find any surprises and the sale will stay on track. By the time you put in an offer on a house, you may think you know all there is to know about the property. However, a professional home inspection can offer much-needed reassurance to home buyers because it provides visibility into potential problems before closing on a home. However, when it comes to major problems that can affect the health, safety, and security of a home and its new owners, a lender may require that the issues be resolved before they provide the financing.
Do Home Inspectors Check for Lead Paint During Inspections
A home inspector will examine and describe the condition of these components of a home’s structure and systems. Those who are selling or buying can both benefit from having a complete home inspection that's thorough enough to provide an informative report of the property. This record will give you insights as to whether you're getting a fair deal on your home. Our user-friendly platform is an excellent tool and will make your life easier by simplifying the inspector selection process and getting great value from your venture.
What to Be Aware of When Hiring a Home Inspector
Without a professional home inspection report, negotiating repairs will be difficult. Certified home inspectors are trained to spot any safety issues during their inspections. To ensure that they adhere to safety regulations and standards, they evaluate the stability of stairways, railings, and handrails.
Knowing what isn’t included in a home inspection is just as important as being aware of what is covered. Unlike a home inspector, the appraiser will not crawl around in the basement or climb onto the roof searching for problems. Don’t worry too much about the length of the inspector’s list of problems; instead, pay attention to the severity of the problems.
The Environmental Health Division has enforcement authority for all unincorporated areas of the county and in all cities that have adopted the County Health Code. The cities of Glendale and Torrance have not adopted the housing standards under the County Health Code, and as such the County does not have enforcement authority over housing issues in those cities. The cities of Long Beach, Pasadena and Vernon are not under County authority, as they have their own health departments.
Major issues will be called out first, and other systems will be mentioned regardless of their state. Use this information to decide if and how you as the buyer would like to move forward. Mortgage lenders will need a home appraisal to assess the value of the home you’re buying. An appraisal is part of the borrowing process just like checking your credit score or debt-to-income ratio. You may choose to give the seller, or the seller’s Realtor, a list of minor issues to fix. Getting the owner to fix a leaky faucet, replace a missing doorstop, or re-attach a downspout will shorten your to-do list after moving in.
Buying a home is an exciting time, but eager homebuyers should pay careful attention to the home inspection performed after an offer is accepted on a new house. While no house is perfect, the trained eye of a licensed home inspector can identify key problem areas. Sometimes, sellers get their own home inspection before they put their homes on the market. And it can provide the owner with a chance to fix issues ahead of the marketing of the property. Buying a home can be a very exciting time, but it’s important to remember that a home is a big investment. Before you purchase your new place, it’s important to get a professional home inspection to ensure that the property is in good condition and doesn’t have any hidden problems.
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If a seller gets a pre-inspection, they may be legally required to disclose to the buyers any problems the inspection uncovers. However, some homeowners choose to have an inspector come in before they list the house for sale. You don’t always need to set up a pre-listing inspection, but there are a few cases where it makes sense. Here’s a quick walkthrough for when (and when not) to schedule a pre-listing inspection for your house. Typically, the buyer and buyer’s agent are present during the home inspection, and often the seller’s agent.
The home seller is allowed to stick around, but most industry experts advise against it. Sellers are often emotionally involved in the home, and it can be difficult to listen to the inspector tell the potential buyer and their agent about defects or problems. A typical home inspection takes a few hours for an average-sized house.
While most issues can be fixed, they may be able to negotiate new terms into the contract. Many home inspectors come recommended by your real estate agent, and some lenders require you use one of their trusted inspectors. Check their credentials with the Better Business Bureau, and only choose an inspector who is licensed by the state. Sewer inspections play a crucial role in ensuring the functionality and integrity of the sewer system in new homes. These inspections involve a comprehensive assessment of the sewer lines and components to identify any potential issues or defects. If you’re buying a home that was built before 1975, there’s a chance asbestos may be present in one or more of its construction materials.
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