Home Inspections

[buckeye]

We have signed a contract to sell our home. It the first of many firsts we have do do in order to get out to our new land and build a home. In selling the house, we have to get a house inspection. Back when we bought our house, the bank did an inspection but that was all. Now the buyers are having a building inspector come and look around. I have never dealt with an inspector. Do they look for reasonable issues or are they there to tear the house apart? After all, my house is 27 years old and as such is not new. Everything works, but I can't say everything is modern, nor would I expect it to be. I was just wondering what experience the discussion group has had in the past. Thanks in advance.

 

[looch]

When we bought our house, we had an inspection done as part of the conditions to purchase. The house was 100 years old, so we expected some issues. Things like roof and foundation problems would have cancelled the deal. If everything is in reasonable condition, I wouldn't worry about it. We used the inspection report more as a to-do list (something that would have probably taken at least a month or 2 of living there to formulate myself) rather than a bargaining tool.

 

[hayes]

Within the past year I have sold my old house and built a new house. The inspector for the house I sold was quit resonable and did not really tell us anything that we did not already know about (but this house was just 7 yrs old.) If you have been up front with the buyer, then there should be no suprises. You should be able to be present when he goes through the house to ask questions about what he finds.

If you are building a new house on your land, be sure to have a home inspection done on it, DON'T trust your builder to do everything right, especially if you are in unincorporated area and no inspections are required.

We had a building inspector come check our new house before we paid off the builder, he found about 10 items that we were not aware of.

A building inspector will have a different set of things to check for in a new house versus a lived in house.

Good luck and hope everything goes well.

Larry

 

[Knight9]

When we sold our 35 year old house it was the buyer who requested the home inspection. I certainly think it is a wise idea for a buyer to do!!! Obviously when you are looking at an older home you expect normal wear and tear. The buyer wanted to know about the structure of the home and the status of the big ticket items: shingles, furnace, hot water tank, plumbing, electrical etc. Don't think the inspectors focus too much on aesthetics.

Kevin

 

[toddwulf]

Inspections are actually good for buyer and seller. For the buyer it's obvious. For the seller, you beneift by knowing what requires fixin', what you don't need to bother with but mostly if YOU know what need's work, nobody can try and tell you to lower your price because THEY found something wrong. This also will help you settle on a fair price to list for.

All the inspections I had done were professional and thorough, not nit picky. We had ou inspections done prior to listing and the evenutal buyer had their own inspector come through as well. In addition, I think if the inspector misses something, they become liable for repair. This happened with my in laws where the inspector missed a cracked heat exchange manifold and he had to buy them a new furnace when it was discovered.

Get the inspection. Pro's far outway the con's.

 

[buckeye]

Perhaps I came off defensive. I feel my wife and I have a good sound home, but in dealing with the buyers, they have seemed to use every nook and cranny to their advantage and I was just worried this inspection would become another tool for them. Unfortunately, we cannot go any lower on price. However, if something wrong was found that needed fixed (roof, foundation, etc.) I would gladly fix it as the house and the condition I sell it in has my name on on it, and I greatly value my family's name. I would also be very surprised if anything material was wrong. Thanks for the input from everyone, I really appreciate it.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

My freind is an inspector, and Ive used him to look at rental property for me. I believe its 90% or so common sense, but as someone else said there are some things that might surprise you. (Ive been surprised) Hes not nit-picky but is very consistent. Well worth the money.....

 

[HMD]

Normally the bank (IE mortgage company) is looking for things that will cause ongoing damage to the home (foundation or roof problems). Most of the other things are for the buyers to be aware of (or for the buyers to renegotiate with). Each state works it a little different... (Texas uses an option period... you have x number of days for the inspection with a right to opt out of the contract).

Typical inspection report includes the following:
- Foundation. Type, signs of deformities, excessive settlement, distress conditions, evidence of settlement (doorframes out of square, cracks, window moving away from casement...)
-Grading and Drainage. Signs of water backing into home, tree placement, Clearance of tree limbs.
-Roof Covering. Type, vents, flashing, gutters, soffit vents.
-Roof Structure and Attic. Type of insulation, distance between centers, bracing, fire-blockage.
-Walls. (Interior and Exterior). Cracks, Siding, Trim board, flashing.
-Ceilings and Floors. Cracks, loose tile, slope, uneveness.
-Doors (Interior and Exterior). Locks, strikers, condition, fire code checked
-Windows. Screens, cracked glass, glazings.
-Fireplace/Chimney. (many times an inspector recommends getting prof chimney sweep to do inspection... ie, use at your own risk)
-Porches, Decks, Carport (attached). Any safety issues, rotted wood, step height...
-Electrical systems. Service entrance and panels. Knock out plates, wiring, lugging on breakers...
-Branch Circuits. GFCI's, wiring, junction boxes, grounding...
-Heating Equip. Type, # of units, does it reach prop temp?
-Cooling Equip. Type, Reach prop temp?
-Ducts and Vents
-Plumbing, Water supply system and fixtures. Leaks, conformity to code.
-Drains, Wastes, Vents. Check for leaks
-Water Heating Equip. Energy Source, # of units, location, T&P drain...
-Appliances. Dishwasher, disposal, Range hood, Range/Oven/Cooktop, Microwave, Trash Compactor, Exhaust Fans, Vacuum Systems, Garage Door Operators, Door Vell, Dryer Vent...
-Smoke Alarms

You can also get a check of septic systems... pools... or outbuildings.

The main concern is safety issues and all the rest is plain old CYA. Nit picky can be good is you are working with a reasonable buyer. It is better the inspector makes the buyer aware of any potential problems than have the buyer come back at you with a law suit because you did not disclose a problem to them. Unfortunately in this litigatious society we are now living in, it is much better to be safe than sorry.

By the way... I have seen many 30 year old homes come out with a much cleaner inspection report than the new construction taking place.

Hope the home sale goes smoothly.

Marie

 

[TerryinMD]

Home inspections in general protect the buyer and the seller. The inspection provides information to the buyer about the condition of the home and can offer some bargaining points prior to closing. Once the inspection is done and the buyer agrees with the findings or negotiates price breaks based upon the findings and then signs on the dotted line, the seller is then protected.

If a buyer backs out of a deal due to the findings, the seller can use the information to fix problems or lower his price and inform potention buyers of the problem.

As previously mentioned, the inspections are a good idea and protect all the concerned parties.

Terry

 

[HalseyGreen]

When we were getting ready to sell our 40 year old home 2 years ago, I went out on the internet and downloaded about a half a dozen home inspection check list and went through the house with them. Found a few problem, fixed them, but one big one was that prior to our buying the house (20 year before) someone had changed the 2 prong (no ground) outlets to 3 prong outlets, but since the wiring did not have a ground wire, they were open. Tried to get some 2 connector ones, but didn't have any luck, so I listed the deficiency in the sales listing because I knew that there was a good chance that the buyer would get a home inspection. When I finally sold the house, they accepted the outlets in the contract, and were forced to add grounds wires at their expense to get the financing. It wasn't an out for them. My recommendation is do your homework, don't hid any dificiency because they will probalby find it and if they think that you knew about it, it will make them leary of what else there may be. I know that in my home inspection, the inspector was carefully not to accept any liability for missed items. Wish you luck in selling your house.