What’s The Big Deal About Home Inspection?
Why does my Real Estate Agent harp on getting a home inspection? Do you think this is a needless expense? Think again.
Since the late 1980′s, disclosure of property defects has become the primary focus of most residential real estate transactions after first emerging as a service during the mid-1970′s. Gaining gradual recognition over the past decades, home inspectors attained prominent acceptance as a distinct and essential profession providing the service of inspecting and disclosing property defects.
To those who approach real estate with the old ‘as-is’ mind-set, the advantages of home inspection are not immediately apparent. But make no mistake; a thorough inspection can shield you from costly discoveries after the close of escrow. It’s one of the best consumer protection services available.
Every home, regardless of age or quality, harbors a small, medium, or large list of defective conditions. Some are obvious, while others are only apparent to those who know how and where to look. When you hire an experienced, qualified home inspector, there is no question as to whether unknown defects will be found; but rather what, where, and how serious, dangerous, or expensive the defects will turn out to be.
Most homebuyers spend fifteen minutes to an hour walking through a home prior to making an offer. At best, this provides a general impression of the overall physical condition. But what about foundations and structural framing, attic construction, insulation, ventilation, and roof conditions? These are just a few of the hundreds of considerations included in a home inspection.
Above all, let’s not forget building safety. An inspector can alert you to red flag issues involving the electrical wiring and fixtures, fireplaces and chimneys, gas fixtures such as furnaces, water heaters, cook tops, and ovens, railings at staircases and decks, tempered safety glass in required locations, and automatic reverse of garage door openers.
Furthermore, an inspector can forewarn you of problems involving faulty ground drainage, defective plumbing, substandard construction, firewall compliance, building settlement, leakage, general deterioration, inoperative fixtures, and so much more.
Clearly, your agent understands this process and the importance of equipping you to make an informed purchase decision. Be thankful that your agent is working to protect your financial interests. With a detailed home inspection, you will know what you are buying, before you buy it. And that could save you thousands of dollars and years of regret.
Do New Homes Need Inspection?
The belief that a new home is flawless, simply because it is new, is an unfortunate piece of popular mythology. Since when is a brand new product exempt from possible defects? We often hear of brand new cars recalled by Detroit; experienced sailors can tell you of brand new boats that have leaked; and even brand new parachutes have been known to fail when the ripcord was pulled. As for new homes, anyone who has worked in building construction knows that contractors and trades people, as typical members of the human family, are prone to occasional, or not-so-occasional, errors and oversights.
Inspectors polled from across the US on new home defects unanimously agree that most, if not all, new homes are not totally free of defects. None have ever discovered a perfect specimen, regardless of the quality of construction or the integrity of the builder.
Even when the builder warrants the work for one full year, such guaranties are of no benefit unless inherent defects are discovered. Unfortunately, many types of building problems and safety violations do not become apparent for many years. A faulty wiring condition might not be revealed until it damages your computer or causes a fire. Other defects might only be discovered when you finally resell the property, and the buyer decides to hire a home inspector.
The list of faulty conditions that have been found in new homes is extensive and includes such items as, defective roof installation, improper fireplace construction, errors in electrical wiring, excessive water pressure, fire safety violations, unsafe venting of heater exhaust, leaking drains, faulty site drainage, hot water piping connected to the toilet (can you imagine a steaming bowl?), etc, etc. In one infamous case, a new home was built and approved on a concrete slab without a perimeter foundation. Obviously, we’re not likely to find a major list like this in any particular new home, but every new structure contains a few undisclosed defects, sometimes minor, sometimes not. New homes are often presumed to be exempt from human error, and consequently many close escrow without the benefit of a final examination. For buyers preparing to make such a large investment, assumptions about quality of workmanship can be financially fatal.
Your best advice is to take nothing for granted. The cost of an inspection is incidental when compared to the price of a new home. A qualified home inspector will most assuredly find items that need repair. Better to discover them now than after the close of escrow.
This is just a top level overview. Email me at RonLeeEmail@aol.com
