Home inspections are important to have done on every home being bought or
sold.
What really matters on a home inspection.
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 in a 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 seller's 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, life expectancies
and minor imperfections. These are nice to know about. However, the issues that
really matter will fall into four categories:
- Major defects. An example of this would be a structural failure.
- Things that lead to major defects. A small roof-flashing leak, for example.
- Things that may hinder your ability to finance, legally occupy or insure the
home.
- Safety hazards, such as an exposed, live buss bar at the electric panel.
Anything in these categories should be addressed. Often a serious problem can
be corrected inexpensively to protect both life and property (especially in categories
2 and 4).
Most sellers are honest and are often surprised to learn of
defects uncovered during an inspection. Realize that sellers are
under no obligation to repair everything mentioned in the report.
No home is perfect. Keep things in perspective. Do not kill
your deal over things that do not matter. It is inappropriate to
demand that a seller address deferred maintenance, conditions already
listed on the seller's disclosure or nit-picky items.
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