Have you ever considered hiring an inspector to go through your house and identify any problems that currently exist?

There are a couple of reasons an inspection is important.

Keeping you and your family safe
Saving money by making repairs while the problems are small 

One of the most critical steps in the purchase of a home is the inspection. The inspector is like a detective going through the house testing the systems to make sure they all work and pointing out deficiencies in a home that either are or may become expensive repairs. This is a time where a buyer may walk away from the purchase of a home with no penalties. Why? Because it is important that a buyer have an opportunity to evaluate the condition of a home before they spend hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Over the last few years, I’ve watched inspectors find leaks that may have occurred over years, decks that were collapse hazards, outlets that didn’t work, higher than acceptable levels of radon and serious deficiencies in furnaces. In some cases, people had been living with this problems for years and they weren’t discovered until a new buyer hired a home inspector. At that time, sellers either made the necessary repairs, credited back money to the buyers to make those repairs or refused to correct the deficiencies. It costs the sellers money at a time when every dollar counts.

Hiring an inspector will cost around $350–$500 depending upon what kind of testing you want done. The inspector may also recommend hiring someone with specific expertise in furnaces, plumbing or other areas where there are possible problems. It is worth the cost to follow through.

Find qualified inspectors by asking friends and coworkers who they used during their last home purchase or by contacting your Realtor and asking who they recommend. You may also want to visit Active Rain and search for home inspectors in your area.

Keep your family safe and your home in top condition by hiring a professional every few years to go through your home’s systems. You’ll pay now or pay later, but the safety of you and your family will be worth the cost.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 13th, 2007 at 5:17 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.