When you finally found the perfect house for you and for your family and your offer is accepted, you can’t just be happier. However, it’s now time to hire a home inspector to make sure that you won’t have a lot of problems as soon as the house is yours.
The truth is that hiring a home inspector, unlike what many people think, is not a cost but an investment. What if that perfect house has huge plumbing problems that you don’t know about? As soon as the house is yours, it’s your problem. However, until everything is settled, this is a seller’s problem.
So, how can you find a good home inspector in who you can trust?
One of the best places to search for is in the ASHI search tool. There, you’ll find a list of home inspectors divided into the different states and areas. Another option is to ask a friend or a family member who has recently hired a home inspector and who provided a good job.
Looking at Home Advisor reviews or Yelp are also great places to find a good home inspector. However, in case this is your decision, make sure that you read what people are saying. Most people just like to complain but forget about leaving good reviews as well.
In case you really want to make sure that you get a good home inspector that is able to check everything in detail, inch-by-inch, one of the best things you can do is to hire a Certified Master Inspector, who is the top professional designation.
How much will a home inspector cost you?
The truth is that the fee that you need to pay depends on numerous factors. These include the area where the house is located, the price of the housing, the age, the size, among others. However, what you need to remember is that it is just a small investment on your part when you’re about to spend so much money in a house.
A home inspection can vary between $200 to $400, on average.
One of the things that you should take into account is that some home inspectors also check for the presence of asbestos, lead, mold, termites, and radon. However, these may not be included in the home inspection plan and may require an extra fee. After all, the inspector will need to have a specific habilitation to be able to perform these tests.
So, what does a home inspection cover?
The reality is that a home inspection will include a comprehensive overview of every structural system and major mechanical systems of the house, These include fireplaces, attic, roof, foundation, plumbing, appliances, furnace, air conditioning, among others. Plus, it also includes a general look at both the exterior and interior of the house.
One of the things that you, as a buyer, should have in mind, is that the seller is not obliged to make any fix. However, there are three main issues where the buyer can decide to ask the seller to fix:
– safety issues;
– a roof leak or other situations that can lead to major defects;
– a structural failure or any other major defect.
On average, a home inspection should take between 3 or 4 hours and the buyers should be present. This is the best way home inspectors tell them what they need to know about the house – the good and the bad.
Even though hiring a good home inspector is always a good idea, the reality is that they are not engineers, contractors, plumbers, or electricians. All they have are their eyes and knowledge to try to see what’s good and bad around the house. Plus, they don’t check security systems or pools.
