Attending open houses can make the home-buying process feel forever. Making a distinction between must-haves and nice-to-haves. Finding your (kind of) ideal house. Proposing. The final price is being negotiated. When structural home inspection day arrives, breathing a sigh of relaxation is tempting because your work is nearly complete.
But not right now. A home inspection is an imperative aspect of the house buying process, and it should not be rushed. The inspection procedure can be equally nerve-wracking for the buyer as it is for the seller. What if you’ve fallen in love with a lovely house with severe flaws beneath the surface?
That’s why it’s critical to pay attention during this (often perplexing) procedure and take precautions to prevent frequent errors. How could you possibly go wrong? When getting an inspection on your dream property, avoid making these blunders.
Choosing To Skip The Inspection In The First Place
Most people know that they should have it inspected when purchasing a home from someone else.
Examine a brand-new property that hasn’t had any problems. Buyers should be a little more assertive when dealing with builders who try to talk them out of getting an inspection.
Another word of caution: don’t skimp on any further examinations that your property may require. Consider swimming pools, septic systems, wells, and any potential hazards like radon or lead that may be missed during a standard house inspection.
Expecting A Flawless Report
Every home will have problems, and an inspection is not a pass-fail test. In fact, don’t be surprised if the examination reveals 50 to 100 “deficiencies,” many of which will likely be trivial.
Buyers unprepared for the breadth and depth of an inspection are frequently surprised, making them lose faith in the property when many of these flaws are expected.
Selecting The Least Expensive Inspection Method
Many inspectors offer extremely low fees for house inspections, suggesting that they are new and inexperienced or have difficulty attracting clients.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that you should never choose a low-cost inspection or that all low-cost inspectors are dummies. However, we recommend doing your homework before going with the cheapest alternative.
Unless you’re in the house inspection business, it’s difficult to know what kind of qualifications you’re searching for. There are, nevertheless, certain unmistakable indicators. It would help avoid an inspector who does not employ the most up-to-date equipment (e.g., an inspector using chemical swabs rather than XRF technology on a lead paint test).
Putting Your Attention On The Wrong Things
As previously stated, not all offenses are created equal. Remember that an inspection is your chance to learn about any major flaws with the property (e.g., issues with the roof, foundation, HVAC systems, or other costly problems).
When negotiating with the sellers, you want to focus on those flaws rather than nickel-and-diming them for every small item the inspector reports.
If you give a fair list of demands to the seller, they will be more receptive, so conduct some research on expected repair prices to assist you in deciding what’s worth discussing.
Being Unable To Attend The Inspection
You might be tempted to let the inspector do her job and read the report afterward. Do not attempt it. Being present is not the same as having a thorough report with images.
No matter how insignificant, every discovery must be reported to the inspector. Hearing the inspector’s comments firsthand and being able to ask questions is incredibly beneficial in determining which aspects of the report are concerning.
Failure To Re-Inspect Negotiated Repairs
Even if there is an extra expense, it’s good to acquire a final signoff from your home inspector once the negotiated repairs have been done.
Marlow says he’s only done a few reinspections where all agreed-upon fixes were accomplished. Worse, he’s been provided receipts for work that was never completed.
Following up with a reinspection will provide you peace of mind—and isn’t that, after all, the whole goal of the inspection?
Conclusion
A house warranty protects homeowners from unexpected repairs and replacements. Therefore, if a home inspection in Tulsa reveals no pre-existing condition on a particular item that fails, the guarantee will cover the service call.
Our staff at the AEI Inspections has over 30 years of experience in home inspection and structural engineering, so we have the knowledge and experience to identify structural faults and test and troubleshoot all residential home components and systems. Contact us if you need a home inspection in Tulsa!
