Buying a home is among the largest financial purchases you’ll make throughout your lifetime and a huge commitment – whether it’s your very first or your fifth property – so it makes sense to protect your investment.
Once you’ve fallen in love with a home, it’s especially difficult to keep an open mind to ensure everything’s structurally sound and your hard-earned money will be put to good use. After all, to an untrained eye, simple staging can cover up a lot of deficiencies and shortcomings within a property.
By investing an average of $500 for a 2,000-square-foot home to be professionally inspected, you’re ensuring that big-ticket issues don’t occur down the road that can cost you dearly.
What’s included with a home inspection?
All home inspections should disclose the condition of the structure, foundation, plumbing and electrical systems, windows and roofing.
Your inspector will alert you to caution areas based on the age of the house as well as specific characteristics, note previous renovations and specify issues that must be addressed immediately versus ones that can be remedied in future.
Here’s what you can expect your home inspector to review during a typical inspection:
- Structural components (roof, foundation, walls, floors, ceilings, attic checked for water leakage or condensation)
- Exterior faults (inspection may reveal deteriorated stair treads, settlement cracks or areas where additional caulking is needed)
- Roofing (examined for loose shingles or tiles, gutter debris, skylights and chimneys checked for proper sealants)
- Plumbing (piping, drains, vents and waste systems, tested for leakage, mineral deposits, fitting issues or bacteria)
- Electrical (tested for fit as well as safe and efficient operation, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors noted)
- Heating/air conditioning (verified in working order, no corrosion on pipes, chimneys sound and clear of debris such as animal nests)
- Insulation/ventilation (attic crawl space insulation, vapour retarders, venting fans, under floor insulation examined for deterioration)
- Interior/built-in appliances (doors, floors, stairways, counters, cabinetry and windows, noting any items not functioning properly)
It’s extremely valuable to be present during the inspection. That way, you can ask questions as you go and better understand the home’s condition as opposed to solely relying on a written report that’s often open for interpretation.
Have questions about having the home you’re buying inspected? Answers are just a call or email away!