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.