The Home Buyer Inspection

Skipping the home inspection is not the smart way to buy a home when considering a single family house. There is a good reason that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and The Federal Housing Administration created a form titled, “For Your Protection, Get a Home Inspection.” The inspection contingency gives the buyer an opportunity to back out of the deal should a major issue be uncovered. It also provides opportunity to further negotiate as a result of the findings. Who is a qualified home inspector? It is not a relative who is an engineer or contractor or a family member who has flipped a home or two. A qualified home inspector is a trained professional whose primary job is home inspections and completes at least 100 inspections a year. A common saying amongst ethical real estate professionals is, “The cheapest inspection can end up costing you the most.” An experienced Realtor will likely have some recommendations of quality home inspectors. Usually, these are the same people they use and trust when they themselves are purchasing a home.

A quality inspector is going to find an extensive list of noteworthy, marginal, and potentially hazardous items even in newer homes. Some of the most common issues that we see are ungrounded outlets, negative grading, unvented fixtures, and furnaces that need to be safety checked. The key is to concentrate on the life safety issues or issues that are not common to homes of this age.

Try to limit your requests to no more than six items to increase your chances of coming to agreeable terms with the sellers. Keep in mind that these requests will reopen the negotiations and give the sellers the potential to walk away if agreeable terms are not met. If you are unable to limit yourself to six requests, then you should ask if this is the right home for you. Here’s a pro tip!

Keep your inspection and use it as a guide for maintenance and repairs after you move in.