Good or Bad Home Inspection: What to Expect of an Inspection

Oh inspectors, you are so delightfully thorough! I don't think buyers or sellers know what to expect when it comes to the home inspection. Sellers should be nervous and buyers need to keep the inspection into perspective.

The inspector has every obligation to the buyer to note every possible thing about the home and its property, down to the handle that jiggles funny, the light bulb that's out, the window that squeaks when it opens, and every settling crack found on the concrete. I love that inspectors do this because buyers only spend about an hour maybe two in the home before they own it. That is not very much time at all when you think of this being the home you live in. Inspectors go in and do all of it for you. Even in a small home, the inspector I use spends a good three hours in the home. There is a lot to find out.

Sellers should be worried because yep, he's going to find every little thing you have lived with and not thought about as being an "issue" and he is going to find probably a lot of things you don't even know about because after all when was the last time you climbed in your attic with a flashlight or walked your roof looking for concerns or looked to see how clean your A/C or heating unit is?! The inspector will find it, otherwise he isn't doing his job AND he is held liable (as in: can be sued for not finding and disclosing it) for disclosing everything big and small to the buyer.

I was writing up an addendum to a home inspection that needed a radon mitigation system, which runs about $1000 bucks and a new fuse panel along with grounding all the outlets for 3 prong wiring in the home...This is an example of some pricey repairs. The buyer asked, " Do most people ask for repairs like this," and after thinking on this, I said yes. Even if the repairs in general are nothing and the worst the inspector could find was that the A/C needed cleaned, well that is the worst repair to the buyer, so the buyer wants it fixed, so it all becomes a matter of perspective. Major things should be asked for because the thing to ALWAYS keep in mind is that as soon as something is found in the inspection it becomes the seller's legal obligation to disclose it to EVERYONE so if they are going to have to fix it anyway, might as well fix it for you! And the buyer has to realize if they don't ask for it to be fixed and it needs it, that liability is now in their hands once they own the home and will have to deal with it when they go to sell it.

Buyers need to realize that the inspector HAS TO mark everything down that is even the slightest of concern, but do they really need to ask for the light bulb to be replaced and the handle that jiggles to be tightened with a screw before they move in? I suppose it depends on the buyer, but every home, even new construction will have their issues and most of what the inspector is there for is not these nit-picky things, but the meat. Inspections are meant to be for major defects, these are the things that matter and affect the purchase of the home. A light bulb being out or a screw being loose are not going to make one home more valuable than another. I consider a major defect to be one that does affect the value and demand for a home. A home that has radon would scare people off, thus affecting the value of the home by limiting its pool of buyer's further.

For both buyers and sellers, I would say to take a deep breath and really consider what is found in the inspection. The inspector will note everything, so do not be pulled in by all the red ink that notes a crack as a "falling hazard". REMEMBER: They have to be sure they note every hazard possible because of the liability of their work, not because any normal person believes that it's a "falling hazard", it's kind of silly the things they have to note. So weed through and be sure to focus in on the true hazards, don't get sidelined and confused by things that don't.

Sellers: If it's a major defect, might as well fix it because once you have seen the documentation that something is an issue, you have to put it in your seller disclosure for the next buyer and trust me, buyer's do not want to see anything that is a problem before they even buy a place, it makes them think that less obvious things lurk beneath. They get a little jittery and scared of what else you may be hiding and not fixing. Fix it and move on.

Selling Homes in the Omaha Area Metro: Good Ole Nebraska Pride

www.ColleenWoodward.com

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