While hiring a home inspector is not a mandatory requirement when purchasing a home, our office always suggests having an inspection done. Completing a professional inspection gives you important knowledge about the health of the home and helps you protect your future investment. While there is cost involved with hiring a home inspector, the information that you gain can help you in more ways than just saving money.
5 Reasons for Hiring a Home Inspector
1. Helps With Home Buying Risk
Buying a home is one of the largest investments most people make in their lifetime. While all investments have risks, hiring a home inspector can reduce many of the risks involved in property ownership. A certified home inspector will prepare a full report on the health of the property. Knowing about any structural or other issues in advance helps you make an informed decision and better understand the risk on your homebuying investment.
2. Saving You Money
While there is upfront cost in hiring a home inspector, their knowledge could save you $1,000’s when you finally purchase the property. With the average home inspection cost being around $400 (additional testing will add to price), it is worth every penny to receive a report of property.
The report will give you a heads up on any major issues (i.e. damaged chimney or water damage). With this information you may be able to negotiate repairs. During negotiation with your inspection report as the basis, you could alternatively ask for the price to be lowered to cover the future cost of repairs.
3. Confidence In Purchase
Buying a property can be scary, especially if it is your first one. It is a major investment in every homeowner’s life that involves a lot of money and planning. For many homebuyers, this can also be a very emotional period. Falling in love with a style or neighborhood or just wanting to buy the property can make it difficult to make objective decisions.
While the home could look great on the surface, our experienced ADKPP agents recommend that all buyers do their due diligence of hiring a home inspector to check for potential hidden issues. This can save from making an emotional purchase just to find out that there are major issues afterwards. Having the patience to do an inspection will bring you to the best decision – one made with a level head instead of an impulse.
4. Inspects With Correct Tools And Ensures Safety
You can’t write without the proper utensil, and so it goes trying to complete a home inspection without the proper tools. While you might be tempted to skip a proper inspection or to use a friend who knows a little about construction, hiring a home inspector who is certified is always best.
Generally, certified home inspectors have experience and/or knowledge in construction, architecture, and engineering. They also receive frequent training to stay up to date on best practices. With this being their main occupation and not a side hustle, they purchase expensive tools and equipment to provide the best inspection possible.
Some of this equipment can even effectively check beneath the surface of the home to see beyond what is readily visible. There are many potential hazards in a home. Having the best equipment and tools for inspections increases future safety for the homeowner by identifying emerging dangers.
5. Learn More About Potential New Home
In the best case, you will spend a small amount for hiring a home inspector, and learn valuable info about your new house and potential future issues. Everything in a home has a shelf life, so knowing what might need to be replaced in 5, 10 or even 20 years can give you an idea of your future repair and replacement expenses.
While attending your home inspection is optional, it’s a good idea to accompany your inspector during the process. Most home inspectors detail ALL issues in a report, so you may get nervous that things are worse than they are when you read the detailed report. Most inspectors include things that would not qualify as a true issue, like light bulbs being out or a loose handrail, but share to provide their best advice and recommendations.
Generally, an inspection is between 1-2 hours long. Most potential buyers can find that kind of time and appreciate the resulting peace of mind that comes from attending. Being there helps you differentiate between what are true issues vs. what is just normal wear and tear on the property.
Hiring a home inspector when you are purchasing a house comes with many benefits. From eliminating risks to saving money in the long term, it can also give you an extra sense of security. As it goes with most things in real estate, research and vetting usually provides you with the best results. Take your time to call around and find the right person when hiring a home inspector.
If you need assistance starting your home purchasing adventure or referrals for local inspectors, call our office to ask for help today!