Home Inspections; a Critical Piece of the Home Buying Puzzle

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Buying a home is undoubtedly the most expensive purchase of most people’s lives and it goes without saying that you should proceed carefully and in a way so as to make good decisions. One very important part of making a good decision on buying a home is getting a full-blown home inspection of the property.

We’ve all seen the nightmare stories on television where a homeowner that neglected to have a home inspection done, ends up with a huge money pit. The easiest way to combat that risk is to get a thorough check-through by a licensed home inspector.

Though inspectors are required by State licensing boards to maintain licenses and stay up-to-date on their education, there are bad inspectors out there that fail to properly check a home. It’s important that you select a good inspector. One great resource is your real estate agent because they have worked with countless other buyers and they usually have a list of preferred vendors they recommend.

Common Issues That Come Up in Home Inspections

As you can imagine, many things can come up as a professional goes through each aspect of your home’s function, structure and systems. Some of the more common issues that arise include problems with the home’s electrical panel, some circuits with blown fuses, a circuit breaker with problems that could cause a fire hazard.

Sometimes chimney problems come up too that might not be visible to the layperson. Anything from cracks in the chimney, gaps that could contribute to heat and cooling loss or issues with the roof – all come up with a thorough inspection.

Buyers Learn a Lot About Their Home During an Inspection

Probably the most overlooked benefit of a home inspection is the ability for buyers to get a walkthrough with the inspector and see how everything functions. While the inspector is looking over everything, the buyer will be able to learn how to operate things in the house plus get an overview on basic home systems.