As an Idaho Falls real estate agent I’m often asked if a home inspection is always worth the extra expense. The simple answer to this question is YES, every single time. Let’s roll play for a minute. I’ll be the realtor and you’re the client asking the questions.
(You) Should I have a home inspection done on an older home?
(Me) Yes!
(You) Should I have a home inspection done on my new house?
(Me) Yes!
(Yes) Should I have a home inspection done even when the seller is selling the home “as is”?
(Me) Yes!
(You) Should I have a home inspection if I’m selling a house?
(Me) Yes!
(You) Should I…
(Me) Yes!
(Yes) Why?
(Me) Great question let me explain…
A good inspection will cover every square inch of the home from the basement or crawl space to the attic and chimney. It will include the plumbing, heating, electrical, windows, foundation, slope of the yard, roof, chimney, and anything else that makes the house a house. It will protect you from getting into a house that has unexpected problems. According to the Federal Trade Commission almost half of the preowned homes that are purchased have repairs that need to be made in the first six months. Some of those repairs could cost tens of thousands of dollars. At least with a good home inspection you’ll walk into the deal with your eyes wide open.
Let me take just a minute and address a few of the not so obvious scenarios and why you should still have an inspection in each case.
The first one is if the seller is selling the home “as is.” They might as well be advertising to you that they know the house has problems but they won’t do anything about it. I’ve had buyers suggest that it’s not worth spending hundreds of dollars on an inspection when the seller won’t do any repairs or give any compensation for the problems. Although this might be true, don’t you want to know what those problems are before you buy the house? Would it make a difference if the house needed a new roof and major foundation repair?
I recently helped a client purchase a house that was being advertised “as is.” It was obvious as we walked through the home that it had some major problems, but we weren’t sure how bad they were. In our offer, we made the sell contingent on the buyer approving the home inspection. The inspection was done and the potential problems were identified. We knew the seller was not going to work with us on fixing those problems, but the buyer was grateful that he knew exactly what he was getting into. If there were bigger problems that we were unaware of, we had the option of walking away while retaining the earnest money.
The next scenario is when you’re the seller of a house that you have just listed. When people think of getting a home inspection, they assume that it’s the buyer’s responsibility. So, why would a seller want to pay for one?
There are several benefits to a seller getting a home inspection done. The most important reason is that it aids in the marketing of the house. If a buyer knows that as inspection has already been done and any problems have been addressed, they’re a lot less likely to look for reasons to make a low offer. The other benefit is that the seller has more time and less pressure to deal with problems.
Several weeks ago I listed a home and convinced the seller to have an inspection done before we marketed the house. It turned out that the inspection discovered several issues that would have been a problem to almost any buyer. We were able to get the items fixed before any offers were made. Once we had a purchase and sale agreement in place, the seller didn’t have to worry about addressing any major issues and could focus on getting moved into their new place. It turned out that the entire process was a lot smoother than it would have been if the seller would have waited for the buyer to get the inspection.
So you’ve decided now that it’s important to get a home inspection. Who’s the right person for the job? In my opinion, this should not be done by uncle Bob, the part time builder who once constructed a chicken coop with all the bells and whistles. It should be done by a professional who knows what to look for and will spend hours making sure he/she is thorough.
In Idaho you don’t need to fulfill any certification requirements to be a home inspector. Anyone can claim to be one, which makes finding the “best” difficult. I have several suggestions when shopping for an inspector.
- Ask your realtor - Real estate agents deal with inspectors all of the time and typically know who should be hired to do the job.
- Ask for referrals - Past customers can inform you of their thoughts.
- Find out if the inspector has errors and omissions insurance - Some of them won’t.
- Ask how much experience the inspector has - They gain a lot of knowledge by doing the job and getting their hands dirty.
When considering all of these things, the bottom line is, a home inspection is a very small price to pay to get peace of mind and protection.
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Buyers Tips
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