You shouldn’t skip a home inspection when planning to buy a house. This procedure allows an inspector to conduct a thorough check of the house. The assessment helps locate the potential issues and significant defects on the property. You can use this information to cancel the offer to buy without having to pay the penalties. Aside from that, you should not skip a home inspection because of the following.
1. It reveals potential safety hazards
You should not skip a home inspection because it helps reveal potential health hazards that the house offered for sale has. A home inspection does not only include a visual examination of the property. The inspector also conducts thorough checks of its major systems, including the structure, foundation, HVAC, electrical, roof, and plumbing.
Furthermore, professional home inspectors are trained to look for possible safety concerns such as faulty electrical wirings, poor ventilation and structural problems that serve as threats to your family’s safety. Finally, a home inspection also includes security concerns like broken doors and fences, faulty locks, and other things that will significantly affect your physical security. Thus, you can request the seller to have these repaired. If not, you can haggle for discounts and use these to finance the needed repairs.
2. It reveals possible health hazards
A home inspection also helps in detecting possible hazards that might threaten your entire family’s health. Professional inspectors are trained to do some test and detect issues that might cause health problems. This includes the detection of radon, which is linked to lung cancer or mold, which is a major cause of severe health problems.
Highly-trained inspectors can also help detect the presence of disturbed or damaged asbestos sheeting. A damaged sheeting is considered harmful because it makes the asbestos particles airborne and easily inhaled by the occupants. The particles can become lodged in the lungs and eventually cause the development of more severe disease. This is why asbestos was known as a silent killer and was banned in Australia since 2003.
3. It helps you negotiate with the seller
A home inspection will help you detect all the major and minor issues of the property you intend to buy. The inspectors typically report the existing problems revealed. You can use the information they provide to negotiate with the seller to ask for a significant price cut or a better deal. Thus, it is best for you not to skip the home inspection to save a few hundred dollars. Instead, it is strongly advised that you hire the service of a professional and reliable home inspector. In the long run, you will realise that having the house inspected is definitely worth the amount spent for the inspection.
4. It helps forecast potential costly repairs
A home inspection is an excellent way to forecast possible costly repairs in the future. This feature makes the procedure a must for buyers who are planning to buy as-is houses. The inspectors can detect major issues that might require costly repairs in the future. An excellent example of these issues is water damage caused by a clogged sewer or leaky pipes.
Thus, working with home inspectors can help you detect the said defects upfront. They can include the information about these issues in their report. You can then use the report to negotiate with the seller or to prepare the budget for the needed repairs.
5. It helps detect illegal installations or additions
A home inspection helps detect if the house has altered garages, rooms or basements. It will also reveal if these alterations were completed without the proper permit or failed to follow the applicable code. Thus, the illegal or unpermitted additions to the house you plan to buy will most likely become your financial problem. This is because such additions significantly affect the amount you pay for the taxes and house insurance.
6. It helps in securing home insurance
An inspection of the house you are planning to buy is beneficial in securing home insurance. Most insurance companies will not insure a home if it is not inspected or has valid certifications from inspectors. Given this, it is best to hire the service of certified inspectors. In most cases, hiring these inspectors will not only allow you to obtain the needed certifications. It will also make home insurance processing more convenient. This is because the inspectors can help you deal with insurance companies and get the best deals.
Although skipping a home inspection is proven to save you hundreds of dollars, the practice is still strongly discouraged. Having a house inspected offers a long list of benefits that are definitely worth the amount spent for the inspection. A home inspection does not only help you save money when buying a house. It will also help you prepare for potential expenses in the future. Finally, having your home appropriately inspected makes it safer, secured, and guarantees a significant return on investment.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
Speak Your Mind