The Home Inspection
Besides finding out how much house you can afford (through a mortgage pre-approval process), then next important item to take care of before purchasing that dream house is to have a home inspection. That home inspection can let you know if you´re about to walk into a nightmare or not. It´s the only real way you´ll find out the condition of the house (i.e. structural problems, roof in poor repair, leaky pipes, cracked chimneys) before you make that huge purchase; otherwise, you might end up paying thousands of dollars to make your new home livable.
What the Home Inspection Should Cover
The home inspection should cover all major systems in a house. That includes the electrical, plumbing, insulation, and air conditioning and heating systems. For example, you might have tested the a/c system yourself, and it might have even been installed only a few years ago, but that´s certainly no guarantee that the system is fully functioning. The same goes for the plumbing system and all the other systems in the house ? what seems like a completely sound system can have major problems just under the surface.
The home inspection should also cover all structural issues, especially for properties located in an earthquake prone territory. Your potential property might have a cracked foundation or a seam line crack in the chimney that´s invisible upon a simple visual check. Such problems can be expensive to repair, especially a cracked foundation. Other structural issues that would ordinarily be checked would be the roof, windows, walls, floors, and ceilings. Again, an issue like an old, leaky roof can be quite expensive to repair. Either you could decide to lower your offer, keep the offer as is for fear of losing the house, or walk away from the house altogether. If you do decide to buy the house, at least you know what you´re walking into.
How Much Should A Home Inspection Cost?
Home inspections cost anywhere from around $200 to $500. Don’t necessarily choose the cheapest rate, however. Think of the home inspection as one of the smartest investments you can make in your life. It can potentially save you thousands of dollars if you decide not to purchase the house based on its negative findings. Just remember that the right house will eventually come along!
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Linda Zimmerman, GRI, e-PRO, SRES |
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