fbpx
Buying Your Home – Home Inspections

Buying Your Home – Home Inspections

Unless the house you are buying comes with a recent home inspection, by a licensed inspector, you should plan on having an inspection of your own.  Your inspector must be licensed by the Texas Real Estate Commission and the inspection should take place during your option period, with enough time left in that option period to renegotiate needed repairs (or bail out and find another property).

Plan to be at the inspection- mention this when booking your inspection to be sure the inspector encourages your participation – if he/she does not, try another inspector.
A Buyer who accompanies the Inspector learns more than one who does not.  It is the Inspector’s job to educate the Buyer regarding the condition of the property, so do not be afraid to ask questions during the inspection.

Every inspection will find some structural or mechanical defect or deficiency.  Even brand new homes will have some defects.  Do not be freaked out by a long list of defects – the inspector is comparing the property with today’s building codes and a good inspector will guide your attention to what is important.

Don’t expect the inspector to give you his personal approval of your decision to buy the home.  His job is to inspect and report and he is not your Dad.

Here are examples of the “structural and mechanical” systems which will be inspected (if the inspector can access them):-

  •   Grade and Drainage
  •   Roof Covering, Roof Structure and Attic
  •   Walls, Ceilings, Floors, Doors and Windows
  •   Fireplace and Chimney
  •   Porches, Decks and Carports
  •   Electrical (Service Entrance and Panels, Electrical Branch Circuits)
  •   HVAC (Heating, Venting and Air Conditioning)
  •   Plumbing (Water Supply, Drains, Wastes and Vents, Water Heater)
  •   Appliances (Stove, Oven, Disposers)

The inspection report is paid for by you as buyer, and you are not required to share it with the seller.  However, it makes sense to provide extracts, if not the entire report, to the seller in support of any request for repairs to be made and paid for by them.

Combining the seller’s disclosure with the inspection report and whatever appliance manuals are left by the sellers in the home, will make a good start to your “My New Home” handbook.

Blog Author: Clive Rutherford

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.