Tag: home inspection

Home Inspection Help

Home-Maintenance

After you’ve found your dream home and had your offer accepted it is time to hire a home inspector.  Home inspection isn’t a step of a home transaction that you want to skimp on, so for your peace of mind and to save potential trouble be sure to find the right home inspector.  To find a trustworthy home inspector you should start by asking your real estate agent, friends and family for recommendations.  Once you have a list check the qualifications and references of the recommended inspectors and narrow down your list.  At that point you can ask inspectors to see a sample inspection report or checklist so that you can insure that hiring the inspector will turn up a thorough inspection with explanations and not just a simple checklist.  Additionally, it would be beneficial for you to hire an inspector who has membership in a national or state association of home inspectors.  Home inspectors can easily make errors or overlook problems so ask the inspector for his or her company’s policy in such situations.  Ask questions such as whether the company has insurance for errors or omissions, whether it is the company or the individual inspector who stands behind the report and whether or not there is a guarantee and if so, how long it lasts for.  Finally, ask the inspector whether or not you are allowed to be present during the inspection.  Walking along with the inspector can teach you a lot about your property and give you a great idea of the types of issues you might deal with in the future.

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County?  Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-629-6693.

Take Advantage of Your Home Inspection

After you’ve found your dream home comes the scary part… inspection!  Home inspections are meant to educate the buyer about the home they are interested in and ultimately give them piece of mind about the decision they make.  Inspections are scary because they are not intended to uncover every nitty gritty detail about the house, so even a home that passes inspection with flying colors still might have an issue that was undetected.  Home inspectors are not always able to pinpoint specific problems, but they are trained to examine the details of a home and determine if there might be any serious underlying issues.  At the very least, a home inspector should be able to suggest that you get the expert opinion of a plumber, electrician, or other specialized contractor if they feel there might be a problem.  When the home you love is being inspected, you should keep in mind that there are many problems that are fairly easy and cost efficient to take care of – these types of issues can even be bargaining chips in your negotiations with the seller.  There are several key problems, however, that can be a matter of safety.  If your inspector reports any of the following issues, you definitely want to keep in mind that these can be very costly and time consuming to fix.  Here are the issues that might cause you to reconsider the house, or at least reconsider how much you are willing to pay for it, considering you will most likely have costly repairs to make:

  • Foundation problems
  • Roof problems
  • Structural problems
  • Moisture issues (pooled water, wet basement, moisture in crawl spaces, improper drainage, etc.)
  • Mold issues (usually caused by moisture issues)
  • Fire, carbon monoxide, and/or safety hazards
  • Electrical hazards

In addition to finding out whether or not the home is plagued with any big problems like these, you should also be sure to find out how old the roof is, how old the furnace and water heater are and the condition they are in, whether or not the routine maintenance of the house appears to have been kept up, and whether or not the home’s exterior has proper drainage, which is especially important if the home has a basement.

Thinking of buying or selling a home?  Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-644-2266.

Thursday Three: 3 Reasons to Consider Getting a Home Inspection Before Selling

Most people don’t ever have their homes inspected, but most potential buyers do. Here are three reasons you should consider getting your home inspected before you put it on the market:

Most people don’t ever have their homes inspected, but most potential buyers do.  Here are three reasons you should consider getting your home inspected before you put it on the market:

1.  Your buyers are 99% sure to get one anyway.  Since your buyers are going to get one anyway, you can be one step ahead.  Yes, a home inspection costs money, but having a heads up about what will surface in an inspection will keep you and your buyer from any surprises and keep the process moving along smoothly.

2.  You can make repairs now.  If your home inspection turns up repairs that you can fix before putting your home on the market it will save you money in the long run.  Most buyers over estimate the cost of small repairs, so if you’re a step ahead and fix everything now, you won’t have to bump your price down later to compensate for repairs that the buyers first hear about at inspection.

3.  You’ll be prepared.  In the unfortunate case that an inspection turns up costly repairs and you choose not to fix them, you can disclose the information to buyers or be prepared to negotiate your price after their inspection, rather than be caught off guard.

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County?  Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-856-6434.

How to Choose a Home Inspector

If you’re in the process of buying a new home, you will need to hire a home inspector. This can be a daunting task. After all, you want to hire someone who is professional and is capable of warning you of any potential problems before you buy the property. There are several ways to find a trustworthy home inspector. You should start by asking for recommendations.

If you’re in the process of buying a new home, you will need to hire a home inspector.  This can be a daunting task.  After all, you want to hire someone who is professional and is capable of warning you of any potential problems before you buy the property.  There are several ways to find a trustworthy home inspector.  You should start by asking for recommendations.  Ask your agent!  Hopefully they have a relationship with one (or several) home inspectors who will do quality work since they want to keep getting references from your agent!  You should also check with friends and neighbors who have moved recently.  Checking online review boards such as Angie’s List can be helpful, and checking with the Better Business Bureau is a good move too.  You can check the American Society of Home Inspectors website to see if an inspector is a member, but just keep in mind that membership does not guarantee quality since the ASHI does not police its members work as long as they keep their education and dues up to date.  Finally, you may want to consider having a second inspection, especially if there is a particular area that you are concerned about and you want to have a specialist check it out.  After the inspection is complete, a quality inspector should stand by their work, so if you have any concerns ask them to reinspect the issues that concern you.

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County?  Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-629-6693.

Thursday Three: 3 Professionals You Should Consider Hiring For Less Than $100

If you’re thinking of selling your home (or just want to make updates to enjoy yourself!), hiring any or all of these professionals to give you their opinions can make a huge difference in the long-run, and all of them should cost you less than $100!

If you’re thinking of selling your home (or just want to make updates to enjoy yourself!), hiring any or all of these professionals to give you their opinions can make a huge difference in the long-run, and all of them should cost you less than $100!

1.  Interior Designer
Shop around because a standard hourly consultation fee is often less than $100.  Make it clear beforehand that you are looking for ideas and suggestions, not a room makeover.  Tour your house and in an hour the suggestions you receive, can go a long way to making huge improvements in the way your home looks and feels.  Even tips on things like paint colors and furniture placement can be huge changes!  If you don’t want to shell out the money for an interior designer and you are serious about selling, your realtor may be able to help you with this too.

2.  Get It Inspected
Many homes face hidden problems like termite infestation, outdated electrical systems and deteriorating roofs.  All of these and the many other problems that homes can hide all negatively impact the value of your home.  By hiring an inspector to check out these unseen areas you may be able to fix small issues now before they become huge problems.  The relatively small upfront cost of a home inspection now (inspection costs can vary widely) can save you tons of cash in the long-run.

3.  Cut Energy Costs
Call your utility company and ask if they offer energy audits of customers’ homes.  Many providers do this for free!  An auditor can show you how to maximize your home’s energy efficiency which will help you conserve power and water.  An energy efficient home helps you save money, and since this service is often free there’s really no reason you shouldn’t do it!

Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County?  Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-856-6434.

What to Look for in a Home Inspection

After you’ve found your dream home comes the scary part… inspection! Home inspections are meant to educate the buyer about the home they are interested in and ultimately give them piece of mind about the decision they make….

After you’ve found your dream home comes the scary part… inspection!  Home inspections are meant to educate the buyer about the home they are interested in and ultimately give them piece of mind about the decision they make.  Inspections are scary because they are not intended to uncover every nitty gritty detail about the house, so even a home that passes inspection with flying colors still might have an issue that was undetected.  Home inspectors are not always able to pinpoint specific problems, but they are trained to examine the details of a home and determine if there might be any serious underlying issues.  At the very least, a home inspector should be able to suggest that you get the expert opinion of a plumber, electrician, or other specialized contractor if they feel there might be a problem.  When the home you love is being inspected, you should keep in mind that there are many problems that are fairly easy and cost efficient to take care of – these types of issues can even be bargaining chips in your negotiations with the seller.  There are several key problems, however, that can be a matter of safety.  If your inspector reports any of the following issues, you definitely want to keep in mind that these can be very costly and time consuming to fix.  Here are the issues that might cause you to reconsider the house, or at least reconsider how much you are willing to pay for it, considering you will most likely have costly repairs to make:

  • Foundation problems
  • Roof problems
  • Structural problems
  • Moisture issues (pooled water, wet basement, moisture in crawl spaces, improper drainage, etc.)
  • Mold issues (usually caused by moisture issues)
  • Fire, carbon monoxide, and/or safety hazards
  • Electrical hazards

In addition to finding out whether or not the home is plagued with any big problems like these, you should also be sure to find out how old the roof is, how old the furnace and water heater are and the condition they are in, whether or not the routine maintenance of the house appears to have been kept up, and whether or not the home’s exterior has proper drainage, which is especially important if the home has a basement.

Thinking of buying or selling a home?  Give us a call at Cooper Realty Associates and put us to work for you – 302-644-2266!