Property Inspections
September 25th, 2007Purchasing a property for either an investment or for your family is usually one of the largest investments you will make. When you make this investment it is a extremely good idea to know everything about this property. The best way to do this is to have inspections done. This way you learn about the insides of the home as well as the outside. Before 1980 2-5% of buyers had inspections done on a property. Since then there have been over 4 million properties sold and 50-60 % of these properties have had inspections.
Presently, sellers and buyers both order inspections. They do this for a few reasons. Sellers do this to provide the buyers with as much information as they can. It can minimize time wasted on re-negotiations from the buyer. You can reduce your liability significantly. A Realtors montra disclose, disclose, disclose! Also this can identify potential problems that can arise in the sale of the home so you can maximize the market price of the home.
Buyers want to have this information so they can feel more secure on the state of the property. If there are problems that are in the report they can be used as a negotiating tool. Even when there are already reports done on the home I always advise my clients to have their own inspection done as well. If the seller has had a reputable company do their report then there should be no surprises in the report. The inspection report can also point out positive aspects of the home, as well as the type of maintenance to keep it in proper shape.
All homes have problems even newly built homes. The question you want answered is how serious are they. This is what property inspections answer. A professional property inspection is an impartial third party visual evaluation of the physical structure, heating, air conditioning, electrical, plumbing, roofing, interior and exterior. Also make sure your inspector is ASHI certified. Being ASHI certified means that your inspector is held to a higher code of ethics
10 questions to ask your inspector from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development

