A professional home inspection is a standard procedure in the main steps of the typical home buying process, and nobody should consider buying a home without first having an inspection done. Home inspections can also be helpful to investors, Realtors, or those who are planning to rent or lease a property and want to know as much about it as possible before signing on the dotted line or negotiating the price.
Home inspectors are licensed and certified according to the regulatory requirements of each legal jurisdiction or state, and before being allowed to perform inspections they must undergo exceptionally rigorous training and testing. In addition to having to pass one of the most demanding and challenging professional licensing exams, these men and women also have to log extensive hours as apprentices or interns, learning the practical application of their home inspection skills under the tutelage of a more experienced and senior inspector. Then, even after getting the proper credentials and being granted the authority to perform official home inspections, they still have to attend mandatory continuing education sessions to ensure that they stay informed and on the cutting edge in terms of developments in the inspection and home construction industry.
That helps to explain why home inspectors are so heavily relied upon for their expertise in ferreting out any potential problems with a property. Every day the services they perform relieve headaches and financial liability for homeowners, buyers, and Realtors.
The typical home inspection will take anywhere from a couple of hours to an entire day, depending upon the particular features of the home, its size and age, and the various methods employed in conducting the inspection. Most conventional home inspections are ordered and paid for by the buyer because the inspection gives the buyer a keener understanding of the property in order to help them make informed decisions regarding their purchase and contractual negotiations.
The inspection report is a multi-page printed document that describes the architectural features and the location of the home and then gives a detailed outline and critique of all of the major structural and mechanical components or systems of the home. Many relatively minor or more obscure details are also included in the report to help the home inspector’s client gain a complete in-depth understanding of the nature of the property. The inspector will indicate, for example, whether or not the condition of the home reflects homeowner pride of ownership and attention to routine home maintenance and upkeep.
There are extensive sections of the report that describe and explain the mechanical systems of the home – like the HVAC system, the electrical wiring, and the plumbing within the house. The inspector will also test the functioning of such things as ovens and stoves, water heaters, radiators, garbage disposals, garage door opening mechanisms, and thermostats. Visible structural components – like the house framing, the flooring and foundation, the roof, and the insulation in the home will also be examined and evaluated.
If there are features like swimming pools, or landscape irrigation systems those can be usually be added to the inspection, for an additional fee. The inspector will also study the drainage of the terrain to make sure that excess water flows away from the structure in a safe and orderly way. Any masonry will be visually inspected to ensure that it the mortar joints and strong and that there are no problems with moisture seeping into the home through brick or concrete, and that the masonry work is stable and meets standard building codes. Good house inspectors will even check to make sure that the home has adequate ventilation, secure locks and doorknobs, window screens that fit correctly, and paint or other surface coverings to preserve and protect the building.
All of this data is compiled into the report and delivered to the client, usually by e-mail, or posted online in a password protected area; some inspectors will even print a summary report on-site. The client can go over the report along with the inspector and ask any questions, or have the inspector offer more detailed explanations or interpretations of the findings. Having the report not only helps with making home buying decisions, but it also comes in very handy as a homeowner reference and a document that lists various features of the home and indicates which ones may require maintenance or repairs in the future.
That makes the inspection report a really valuable and useful item for the lifetime of the building – and is just one more way that the fees paid to hire a professional home inspector repay the client and are well worth the initial investment.