Home Inspection Basics As A First Time Homebuyer
Contracting a professional home inspector before buying a home is a good way to ensure that you will not encounter any major problems after you’ve signed a contract and bought a house.
However, you aren’t required to conduct an official home inspection until after signing the initial contract, so it’s a good idea to learn as much as possible about the condition of the home by having an honest discussion with the seller, and even performing your own ‘mini’ inspection where you can check for basic structural defects or potential problems.
Sellers usually allow prospective buyers to check the condition of the property before any contracts are signed. This can give the buyer some bargaining advantage during negotiation since the buyer is already aware of any damages the property has acquired through time. ‘The Smart Consumer’s Guide to Home Buying’ advocates the use of checklists and taking a note of all known issues regarding the property. The book further explains that conducting an informal inspection is very beneficial to homebuyers, especially those who are considering buying a house that needs renovation.
You need a checklist in inspecting the house to ensure that you cover all important aspects that you need to look at. The information you gather from this checklist can then be used to create a written report to help you in assessing the overall condition of the house. Here are some important matters to include in your checklist:
The age of the house – You should know exactly when the house was built. Find out if there are any renovations or upgrades done and when these took place. Ask if blueprints, architect or engineer plans are available.
Inspect the house’s foundation – Check if there large cracks around the home and basement. You should also check for water or weather related damages. Ask the seller if the house ever experienced or experiences weather related problems in various seasons.
Examine the interior of the house – Keep an eye for any defects and other potential sources of problems in the interior of the house. Specifically, you need to check if all walls are even with no cracks and if all doors are easily opened and closed. Take a picture of any visible crack, if possible. Check if there are any molds, foul odors and if all water drainages and faucets are working properly.
Check the exterior for defects and potential problems – do all of the windows and doors have adequate insulation? Do they open and close fluidly? Make sure all of the siding, windows and doors are free of cracks and any noticeable wear and tear.
Examine the heating and air conditioning system – Query the seller about the average cost of operating these systems in a month. You may need to have a new system in place if the old air conditioning system is already inefficient.
In addition to the written inspection report, you may consider taking pictures or short video clips using a digital camera/camcorder so you can review everything again in more detail at a later date. This extra footage or coverage may also give you an upper hand during the negotiation process with the seller.
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