The fact of the matter is that purchasing a home involves many steps, and it is important to fulfill each one so the process can go as smoothly as possible. One of those steps is making sure you have a home inspection done on the home you are buying as you want to make sure you are not only getting your money’s worth but that unpleasant surprises don’t creep up after you have moved in. Did you ever see the movie from the 1980’s The Money Pit? A couple purchased a mansion for a low price without it being inspected and it literally fell apart.
Even though the movie was just a movie and the way the mansion fell apart was not likely to happen in real life, you still want to avoid any problems regardless that could come up when buying a new home. So what you will need to do is look for a credible inspection company that conforms to and even exceeds the InterNACHI standards. Hire that company and they will bring an inspector in to inspect the property and give you a detailed report after. This report will help you decide whether you want to purchase the house or not, especially if a lot of problems have been detected.
Due to the fact that this is a very important part of the process, you must make sure that you hire the right home inspector. In order to do that, you will need to ask the inspector the following questions before you decide to hire them. Listed below are the questions to ask a home inspector:
How experienced are you in home inspection?
You want to make sure that a home inspector is not only experienced and conforms to and even exceeds the InterNACHI standards, but has a good reputation as well. Ask the inspector to provide a list of previous work, and if you can contact several previous clients about how happy they were.
What is the coverage of the inspection?
You certainly want to be sure that the home inspection will cover all of the necessary requirements to Maine’s requirements, and that the report also complies with the standard of practice and code of ethics. You have the right to ask for a list of areas that would be inspected because if you feel that is important and it is not included, the inspector can add it
How long will the inspection take?
Keep in mind that if the inspection will be undertaken by one person, it may take about 2-4 hours for a typical family home. The older and/or larger the home is, the inspection will take longer. If the inspector feels that the inspection will take longer, then you have the right to know that as well in conjunction with a very detailed report
Do you offer to do repairs based on the inspection?
Some inspectors can make repairs, and some cannot depending on the issue discovered. However, if the inspector is unable to offer a repair, then the inspector needs to give you a recommended repair person or company that can do the repair at a reasonable cost
What will the report entail?
You will want to make sure that the report given to you will give you the details of the home’s condition. That would include how strong and reliable the foundation is, the condition of the plumbing, if the electrical system is safe if there are proper insulation and ventilation and so on. You need to know the condition of everything.
When you ask these questions before hiring an inspector, a home buyer would have an easier time choosing which inspector is the right individual for the job.