Home Inspection

When buying a home, the last stage before you finally commit to purchasing the home is the home inspection. The home inspection comes at the tail end of a long and often tedious process of looking at many homes before finally settling on the one you want to buy.

Because the inspection happens after you have already decided that you like a home and agreed on a purchase price with the seller, it often feels like a formality. But as RentSmartUSA warns, treating this part of the home-buying journey with levity could cost you severely in the future.

Every time you give money to a stranger in exchange for something, there is some risk involved. That risk increases with how much you paid and how central the purchase is to your life. This is what makes buying a home the purchase with the most power to derail your happiness.

This is the reason you should take steps to ensure that your decision to buy the home is the correct one. The home inspection can help you do this by uncovering undetected or undisclosed issues with the structures and systems of the home, as well as its appliances.

However, although the home inspection is supposed to give you the tools to make an informed decision, it does not always do this. That is because the outcome of the inspection depends entirely on the ability of the home inspector you hire and the actions you take after the inspection.

The fact is it is possible to have a home inspection and still end up buying an overvalued home with serious problems. This can happen if you fail to take the right steps during the home inspection. But by following the tips explained below, you will be able to escape that possibility.

Tip #1: Do not waive the inspection

Sometimes, buyers are tempted, with the active encouragement of the seller, to waive their right to inspect the home. Do not do this, not even if the buyer has done a prelisting home inspection. Every home, including a newly built one, can have major problems and the only way to know if you can live with the problems is to do an inspection.

Tip #2: Make the inspection part of the purchase agreement

Note that the moment you sign a purchase agreement with the seller, that contract is binding. The only way you can walk away from the deal, without paying any penalties, is if you make the finalization of the sale contingent on the home inspection. There is no place for a gentleman’s agreement here and get everything in writing or you will pay dearly.

Tip #3: Do not choose the cheapest home inspector

The best inspectors have experience and a list of past clients they can refer you to. They are also respected members of the local chapter of their organization. And they will have modern equipment for doing their work. Such inspectors will usually not be the cheapest, but you can hire them with the knowledge that you will be in safe hands.

Tip #4: Plan to attend the inspection

The competence of a home inspector means nothing if you cannot interpret the home inspection report. Home inspectors cannot tell you whether to buy a home or not. They can only provide you with the information to make that decision. The best way you can get a good sense of the condition of a home is by accompanying the inspector on their rounds.

Tip #5: Don’t expect a perfect report

As already stated, no home is perfect and every home inspection is bound to reveal problems, even if the home is a new construction. Keep this in mind to avoid letting your disappointment led you to walk away from a perfectly good property. Furthermore, the home inspection cannot find everything that is wrong with the home since it focuses on critical issues only.

Tip #6: Know the difference between major and minor problems

There are three ways to respond to the home inspection report. You can ask the seller to do repairs, or you can negotiate a lower price, or you can decide to walk away from the deal. Knowing when to negotiate for repairs, or money, or deciding to simply walk away is important and only you can decide which is the appropriate one.

Tip #7: Verify repairs before finalizing

If you ask the seller to carry out repairs on the home, you must check the completed repairs to be sure they are done to your expectations. You can do this by requesting the repair documents from the seller and having the finished repairs re-inspected by the home inspector. This step is to prevent the seller from cutting corners on important problems.

Tip #8: Arrange specialty inspections where necessary

Home inspectors will do a general evaluation of the systems and structures of the home, as well as its appliances. During their inspection, they may flag certain items or areas and recommend that you investigate them further. This usually means hiring a specialist to inspect the highlighted problem. Do not overlook such recommendations by your home inspector.

There you have it. Home inspection tips for buyers.

If you are a homeowner about to sell your home, here is something you must understand. Your home’s curb appeal will draw buyers to it, but the condition of its structures and systems will determine if it gets sold or not. Carrying out upgrades to your property increases the probability that it will catch buyers’ interest. But the home’s functionality will eventually sell it.

Even if buyers are satisfied with the location, appearance, and price of a home, what finalizes the sale is the home inspection report. This is why homeowners should make understanding the home inspection a central part of the process of selling their home. This knowledge will help homeowners take the right preparation steps and avoid problems during the inspection.

Below are the steps homeowners should take before a home inspection.

Stage 1: Make necessary repairs and check the function of various items

To know what needs fixing in the home, it may be necessary to do a pre-listing home inspection. This ensures homeowners are not surprised by any issues that will be uncovered by the buyer’s inspection.

Important checks and repairs to do include:

• Roof repairs – Inspect the roof and its internal structures and pressure-wash the roof, if necessary, replace missing or damaged shingles, clear debris from gutters, ensure downspouts are not discharging water on walls.

• Fix water damage – Inspects toilets, faucets, bathtubs, showers, pipes, joints, and underneath the sink, check ceilings, walls, and floors for signs of water damage, and inspect appliances for leaks.

• Check fixtures – Re-caulk around bathtubs and sink, replace discolored grout, remove drain clogs, flush toilets to ensure they are working properly, run all faucets, be sure toilets and faucets do not drip.

• Inspect the insulation in the attic and crawl space – Replace damaged insulation, drape crawl space with 6 mm plastic sheeting and inside the crawl space, check heating ducts to be sure they are connected, inspect duct fans to see that they are venting out of the attic.

• Replace blown out light bulbs – If lights don’t come on after bulbs are replaced, check the wiring, run the ceiling and bathroom fans.

• Check the operation of windows – Test all locks and inspect seals, replace the torn screen on windows.

• Inspect kitchen and bathroom cabinets for loose parts and doors that do not flush with the frame.

• Inspect doors and check their operation – Doors must latch onto their frames seamlessly, doorknobs must be firmly in place, and locks must work well, and check the weather stripping on doors.

• Manually open and close garage doors – Test the garage door operation with the remote, test garage door reverse safety mechanism.

• Prepare the home’s exterior – Trim tree branches that are hanging too close to the roof, slope soil away from the base of the home to prevent water pooling around the foundations.

Step 2: Check the home’s safety and security

• Use self-test feature to check smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detector, replace batteries if needed.
• Check fire extinguisher operation, ensure it is full, and confirm the pressure gauge is in the right position.
• Exterminate pests and rodents on the premises.

Step 3: Clean home and declutter access points

Home inspectors do not score a home on their level of cleanliness but a clean and tidy home will put the inspector in a positive frame of mind. If the home is messy, the inspector will expect other parts of the property to be equally uncared for.

Inspectors need access to every part of the home. If a home inspector doesn’t get access to anything in the home, they will not include it in their report. This could stall the sale of the home.

• Remove all laundry from washing machine and dryer
• Remove dishes from sink and dishwasher
• Clean or replace furnace filter, clean the stove and attic, clear out stored materials from the attic, declutter closets that are access points to the attic or crawl space.
• Give the inspector clear access to the home’s exterior (siding, trim, windows, doors, and foundations).
• Clear a path around the home’s perimeter and clear brush away from the foundation as well as move trash cans that block access.
• Remove items that block access to the furnace, air conditioner, and water heater; create around four feet of working space.

 Step 4: Final preparations

• Label electrical boxes correctly
• Ensure pilot lights on gas-fired appliances – water heater and fireplace – are on
• Make sure utilities are connected
• Leave the keys to gates, electrical boxes, and outbuildings and make sure to label keys correctly
• Leave all remote controls – lights, garage doors, and ceiling fans
• If necessary, sketch a map of the property showing the location of wells and septic tanks
• Provide all the maintenance records for the home

Finally, make plans to leave the home on the inspection day and stay away for, at least, three hours. If you have a pet, take it with you. Make sure your estate agent is present when the inspector and buyer arrive. Go have some fun; you have done all you can and it’s no longer in your hands. And if you had a regular home maintenance inspection, the whole process will be easier for both you and the buyer.

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

S. Florida Home Inspection Associates, Inc Receives 2019 Best of Jupiter Award

Jupiter Award Program Honors the Achievement

JUPITER September 23, 2019 — S. Florida Home Inspection Associates, Inc has been selected for the 2019 Best of Jupiter Award in the Home Inspector category by the Jupiter Award Program.

Each year, the Jupiter Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Jupiter area a great place to live, work and play.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2019 Jupiter Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Jupiter Award Program and data provided by third parties.

About Jupiter Award Program

The Jupiter Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Jupiter area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.

The Jupiter Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community’s contributions to the U.S. economy.

SOURCE: Jupiter Award Program

CONTACT:
Jupiter Award Program
Email: PublicRelations@2019organization-honor-contact.net
URL: http://www.2019organization-honor-contact.net

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