Buying A Home - What Is A Home Inspection?
By Raynor James, Fri Dec 9th
Any Sally and Sam Homebuyer can look at a home and decidewhether it is attractive. They might notice it is freshlypainted in pleasing colors, has the requisite number of rooms, acook's kitchen and is located in a location with top schools.But what about less obvious parts of the house?
It takes special expertise to determine if the functional partsof a home are in good shape. If you attend an open house, how doyou determine if there are plumbing problems, electricalproblems, structural problems, drainage problems, the conditionof
heating and air conditioning equipment and the condition ofliterally hundreds of other items that could cause concern?
Enter the home inspector.
A home inspector is trained to be a detective in regard to theconstruction and working parts of homes. It is not an exactscience.
The home inspector cannot tear into things, so they can't alwayssee everything they'd like to. They do, however, come equippedwith ladders, strong flashlights, and devices to measure variousthings related to plumbing, electrical and other necessary homeitems. Importantly, a home inspector will also typically bring adigital camera to photograph problems such as roof shingles notlying flat, signs of mildew from leaking pipes and constructionthat doesn't comply with building codes. They don't miss much.
It's a good idea for the buyer to be present during the homeinspection. If you ask them to, home inspectors will usuallyexplain how things work to you. This is important as they canshow you where cut off valves are, how to remove filters forcleaning or replacement and tell you how often variousmaintenance chores need to be done. This information can be veryvaluable if you ultimately purchase the property.
It's also a good idea to ask the home inspector if there are anyparticular tests they would perform if they were buying thehome. For example, radon gas (a colorless, odorless gas which isa carcinogen) can be a problem in some parts of the country. Itcan be detected, measured, and, if levels are above EPAstandards, there are procedures to deal with it successfully. Ahome inspector can help identify such issues for you.
It's easy to see that a home inspection can provide a wealth ofvaluable information. While it is easy to fall in love with alisted home, a home inspector can be the key to avoidingdisastrous discoveries down the line.
About the author:Raynor James is with http://www.fsboamerica.org - providing FSBOhomes For Sale By Owner. Visit our "sell my home" page athttp://www.fsboamerica.org/seller.cfm to list and sell your homefor free for one month. Visithttp://www.fsboamerica.org/buyer.cfm to see homes for sale byowner.
Here are some more For Sale By Owner articles...
