When buying a home what you see isn’t always what you get. It is extremely important to have a home inspector who is trained and certified to notice unprofessional installations, damage, deficiencies and other problems with the home that might leave you in a bad spot. The home inspector is strictly here as an unbiased opinion to protect your investment. Where you might see colorful flowers nice paint or pretty trees a home inspector will notice foundational cracks, moisture intrusion and siding, unprofessional roofing practices and other issues that he or she has been trained to find.
We recommend writing a list of all of the areas that you would like to be covered to ensure you and your inspector is on the same page. Home inspections 123 looks at every single aspect that goes into building the home. You wanna make sure that your inspector is finding and inspecting on things like:
- Foundation
- Roof
- Attic space
- Rain gutters and downspouts
- Exterior stucco or paint
- Electrical panel, light switches, and power outlets
- Thermostats and heating, cooling, and ventilation (HVAC) system
- Plumbing fixtures, faucets, and water heater
- Appliances
- Walls, ceilings, and floors
- Doors and windows
- Stairs, steps, and railings
- Porches and balconies
- Walkways and driveways
- Basement
- Garage
The inspection process takes can take anywhere 2 ½ to 6 hours depending on the size of the property. If you feel as though there is any range or area that your inspector has not covered it is important that you talk to them further to better understand the systems and installations properly.
It is important to remember it at the inspection is strictly visual and noninvasive. This means anything out of sight may not be inspected on. Some plumbing lines that are buried cannot be seen by the inspector and therefore cannot be inspected but may be tested in other ways. Although we cannot see inside of the walls your inspector may have thermal imaging cameras that may help him find deficiencies that he cannot see. Some things that may not be included in the inspection process may be:
- Trees and landscaping
- Lawn sprinklers
- Sewer line
- Drainage
- Odors
- Internet service
- Floors covered by carpeting
- Roof or outdoor hardscape covered by snow or debris
- Mice, rats, or other rodents
- Wood-destroying pests, such as termites
It is important to remember that inspectors can only report on the problems that they can see everything else may be outside the scope of the inspection.
