A Closer Look at Why A Home Inspection is the Most Crucial Part of Buying a Home
The home inspection is one of the first steps after you’re “under contract”, or in other words, after you, the buyer, have gotten the seller to accept your offer to purchase their property. A home inspection is your personal assurance that the home you’re about to buy is in good shape. The home inspection is what delves deeper into the home to let you know that not only do you have four walls and a roof but what is inside them is also in good condition.
Last month I went to a home inspection for a home that one of our buyer’s is purchasing. I learn a little more with each home inspection that I get to be a part of, and Charlie Jeannet, Professional Engineer at North Star Engineering, made sure that I learned more than my fair share this time, quizzing me throughout the process. I decided that as an expert in the field – with over 31 years of experience – he would be a good source of information on this topic so I picked his brain for information on home inspections.
A home inspection goes over the home much like a doctor would do a thorough check-up. If the home was a body, the inspector would be checking:
-the “bones”: the foundation, the structure, the attic, the roof;
-the “circulatory system”: the heating source – boiler (typically) or furnace – and the mechanical equipment;
-the “digestive tract”: the plumbing, the water source coming into the home, as well as making sure that the water leaves the home properly and that all systems in between – water tank, water pressure, water softener – are functioning as they should be;
-the “nervous system”: the electrical; the engineer is going to check the electric panel, groundings, breakers, and all of the outlets throughout the home;
-and finally, the “respiratory system”: he’s going to check that if the home has a ventilation system that it is working properly, that the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are functioning correctly, and that wood stoves, pellet stoves or fireplaces are in good shape.
And that’s only part of what they inspect. (You can see a more complete listing of what is inspected at Charlie Jeannet’s website, www.nsealaska.com under the What’s Inspected tab).
So I asked Charlie what was the number one reason a buyer should have a home inspection done before purchasing their property.
“I took a call from a distraught buyer who very much thought they had been taken,” Charlie told me. “They already closed, then started to look a little deeper . . . he didn’t even realize there was a crawlspace” [in the home]. Unfortunately, upon investigation of the crawlspace they found serious decay and mold and part of the concrete floor was collapsed, all damage left over from the flood of 1967 – and all of which would have been discovered had a home inspection been done on the property.
According to Charlie’s website, the reason why a home inspection should always be done is simple: “nobody wants surprises – you want to know if anything serious is wrong, which could save you thousands [of dollars] down the road. But more importantly, you want to know that the home is safe and also know how to operate it safely in the future.” And on that note, Charlie also advised that you should have your inspection done by a non-biased inspector. “The reason,” he says, is “because when you’re “in love” (and that goes for houses, cars, boats and property too) you can’t see straight. Love is blind – right?” You want someone unaffiliated with the sale so they won’t just tell you what you want to hear. You want an inspector who is honest with you, no matter how much you may love the home and no matter what the inspection may turn up.
A terrible home inspection report isn’t typical, however. Older homes, of course, are going to have some more issues than newer ones but that will also depend on how well the home has been cared for over its lifetime. “Fortunately,” Charlie told me, “most of the homes are very nice like the one we looked at together.”
As for buyers that may be hesitant about their impending purchase, the engineers that perform home inspections are a great resource. Not only do they do the inspection of the home, but they walk through it with you, explaining as they go what they are looking at and offering solutions to common situations homeowners may face. Don’t be afraid to ask questions during the inspection. The engineers that I have worked with have always been happy to answer any questions that come up. The worst thing you can do is not ask any questions at all. Pay attention, you may even want bring a pen and paper and take notes as you go. The more you know, the more confident you will be when the home is finally yours – and that’s why getting a home inspection is so important.
Written by Tarra Bourdeau
A great thanks to Charlie Jeannet at North Star Engineering for letting me pick his brain for this post.
Scott Rosenthal Real Estate ~ The Rosenthal Team 