A Home Inspection - What it is and is NOT!

When deciding whether or not to have a home inspection, sometimes a buyer can become confused and think that an appraisal is enough and a home inspection is not worth their time or the extra expense. But it’s important to realize that one does NOT take the place of the other, so it’s highly beneficial to have a home inspection on ANY property you’re buying.

Now it’s important to realize that the purpose of a home inspection is to gain knowledge about items that you are otherwise unaware of. So much information has already been gathered as you write the offer... You’re already considering certain things about the property. You’ve reviewed the data sheets, walked through the property (probably a couple of times) and have general information, such as general wear and tear on the house. You can even see if the mechanicals have been kept up or if they are 50 or 60 years old and probably need to be addressed. When you write an offer, you’re already considering all these things.

But there can be things that the average person would not know about, so having a licensed home inspector is valuable. They’ll go over the property and learn everything about it easily taking a couple hours on their own and at the end of that time, meet with you and walk through the property. It will be so beneficial because they’ll point each item on the report and help you uncover any major structural problems, safety issues that would be of benefit for you to know.

An inspector will also be able to spot areas of potential concern requiring additional testing. They’ll be able to recommend a professional in that particular expertise to evaluate it further and advise you on what you’re getting into.

A home inspection will help bring out things that will affect the value of the property to make sure it’s a sound investment! It will also prepare you to own that particular home. So, the inspection is really worthwhile to help you have realistic expectations for the property.

Home inspections are typically something that a buyer requests, but sometimes a seller may want to know up front any potential problems and address them before listing a property, but typically it is the buyer that requests a home inspection.

Lisa Tucker has been a licensed REALTOR® since 1997.