Buying a home? The process can be stressful. A home inspection is supposed to give you peace of mind, but often has the opposite effect. You will be asked to absorb a lot of information is short time. This often includes a written report, checklist, photographs, environmental reports and what the inspector himself says during the inspection. All this combined with the sellers disclosure and what you notice yourself makes the experience even more overwhelming. What should you do?
RELAX. Most of your inspection will be maintenance recommendations, and minor imperfections. These are nice to know about. As you may know no human is perfect this also is true about a Real Estate Property.
The Issues that really matter will fall into five categories:
1. Defects in the foundation/structural which would require evaluation by a structural/geo-technical engineer
2. Defects in the Electrical, Plumbing, Roof, etc. That would require Repairs made by a licensed contractor in the specific field/trade.
3. Issues that are conducive to Termite infestation and or active wood moisture/termite damage which would require Termite report for plan of action/repair.
4. Items that are safety hazards which would require Immediate repair.
5. Current safety upgrades/issues; missing smoke detectors and installation of GFCI electrical outlets for example.
* Issues with maintenace, damaged door knobs, windows that are non functional, etc.
