About General Home Inspection

There are various reasons why a general home inspection may be conducted.  Some of these reasons include sale, refinancing, appraisal and repair.  Regardless of the reason for conducting one, there are some things that you should know about the process.

• While a home inspection isn’t time consuming, it will cost you around $300.  If the inspection is being conducted as a part of a sale (at which time it is required by the bank), the price is usually included in the sales price.  Otherwise, you will have to pay for it up front.


• The purpose of a home inspection is to ensure that there are not any hidden flaws in the home.  This will help to ensure that a home is correctly priced because whenever something is found to be wrong with the home, then the sale price is considered to be inflated, meaning that the home isn’t worth as much as was claimed.  Whenever this happens, the buyer is legally allowed to back out of the contract.


• A home inspection includes examining the home’s basement and substructure, heating and cooling systems, attic, roof, wiring and look for both water and insect damage.  The home’s exterior is examined for rotting, insect damage and other problems.


• Whenever problems are unearthed via a home inspection, it is important to take action to correct these problems.  The inspection helps narrow down the cause of the problem and determine what actions are required to fix the problem.  This makes it a lot easier to make these repairs.


• A home inspection should be done by a person who is knowledgeable, reliable and competent.  Inspectors need to have up-to-date knowledge about building practices and codes.  Talk to people who have recently had a home inspection done or a realty board to find such a person.


• Consider having more than one home inspection done so that you can compare the results and get a better picture of the home's condition.   


• There are numerous benefits to having a home inspection performed.  The biggest benefits have to do with saving money and having peace of mind.