When you prepare to purchase a house, you should hire a professional to do a Home Inspection. The inspection of the house will help you know the issues regarding various aspects. The inspector has to inspect the following things.
- Electrical system
- Plumbing system
- Heating and cooling systems
- Radon detection equipment, if applicable
- Walls, ceiling, and flooring
- Windows and doors
- Roofing
- Foundation
- Basement
- Attic
- Insulation
How to find a professional inspector?
A buyer can find an inspector with the help of families or trusted friends. You can also ask your insurance agent for a recommendation for an inspector or go to the Home Inspectors Association of BC and use their Find An Inspector feature. After finding an inspector, you should check out if he is reputable. To do this check for online reviews, and ratings. Once you have an inspector chosen ask if he has experience for the type of house, which is going to be inspected.
Results of The Home Inspection
The inspection will give an idea to the buyer about the overall condition of the house. If there are problems like pests, molds, water leakage, etc., the buyer will be informed about that. If the inspector finds such problems, then the buyer will have to make arrangements for additional inspections.
Buyer’s duty during the home inspection
The buyer may be present at the time of house inspection and should follow him. Be prepared to ask questions so that you can know more about the home you are interested in.. Use this time to ask about the various issues of the home and also ask the ways of taking care of various parts of the home.
One more thing that the buyer should keep in mind is that under no circumstance should not inspect the house themselves. He should let the inspector do the task. Doing an inspection yourself increases the possibility of missing issues and thus incurring extra costs down the road.
The buyer should also consider the weather condition in which the inspection is being done. If the inspection is done in summer, the buyer should ask the inspector about the condition of the home in autumn and winter.
After the inspection of the home, the inspector will provide a report about the home according to which the buyer has to decide whether to buy the home or not. If the results include small issues then there is no problem in buying the home.
The issues mentioned in the results of the Home Inspection must be detailed along with their severity. The amount of fixing each issue should be mentioned so that the buyer can make decisions regarding the purchase of the house. The buyer should also ask about the clarification about each issue.
If the problems are bigger, then the buyer can negotiate the cost of the house or ask the seller to repair the major issues at a lower cost. If the negotiations are considerable or if the seller agrees to do necessary repair, then the buyer can buy the house.
