The Importance of the Home Inspection Process for the Home Buyer and the Home Seller

Home Inspections Matter

I wanted to tell you about the importance of the home inspection process for both the buyer and the seller, but by the time I got through the list of all the different inspections that you can get, I was bored beyond belief! Needless to say, there are a lot of different inspections you can and should get.

Let’s start at the beginning. As a buyer, the first inspection you should get is the General Home Inspection. The General Home Inspector will go through all the major systems of the home to be sure they work. He will inspect from the very top of the house to the foundation of the home. This is always a great inspection to get. Once the inspector is done you will know a lot about the house, including what works and what does not work. The inspector can recommend other specific types of inspections if there is something that needs additional attention.

I had an inspector tell my buyer that the trusses were too far apart and that he should talk to an engineer since the roof was destined to collapse. Obviously, my buyer decided not to move forward with the purchase, and the seller went back to the builder to fix the issue.

On another house, the inspector found that the furnace was plumbed wrong and was not getting enough combustible air, an easy fix, but one that needed to be repaired.

I am always surprised by what I learn during an inspection. Did you know that a perfectly good roof could be destroyed by pigeons? Doves apparently aren’t good for a roof either.

A lot of times what the inspector finds is less dramatic. The roof is functional but old, the water heater is making strange sounds, or there are signs that the roof has leaked in the past. When you read the 32-page report, suddenly homeownership does not seem so appealing, however, they really are just reporting on the potential problems and things that should be fixed.

The report will give you a good list to decide whether this is the home for you, point out issues that the seller may need to fix, and a honey-do list for you as a new homeowner as well.

The other inspection that you will need for certain types of financing is the WOOD DESTROYING INSECT INSPECTION REPORT. This report covers exactly what the name implies, wood-destroying problems, like termites, wood fungus, mice, rats, dry rot, and anything else that destroys the wood in the house.

A lot of times there will be a little dry rot in the facia that needs to be fixed. Dry rot is easy to fix, but if left, it does spread and get worse. Pergolas are notorious for having wood rot and frequently have to be rebuilt. It is actually cheaper to take the pergola out than to repair all the wood.

Keep in mind that with most wood inspections the shed and the dog house are inspected too. Sheds and dog houses can not have wood touching the ground nor have dry rot. This is overkill in my opinion but it is the way the law reads.

The inspector will point out plants that are too close to the house. Insurance companies hate plants that touch the house and will insist that the plants are trimmed back. Again, an easy fix that will save you time and energy as you work with your insurance company. It’s not fun when the insurance company denies you insurance because plants are too close to the house.

There are other inspections you may want to get beyond these two basic inspections. Heating, cooling inspection, mold inspection, pool inspection, and roof inspection to name a few, and believe me, the list does go on and on. If you would like more information about inspections, you can download a full list at https://azre.gov/  search for “Buyer Advisory”. This is a 13-page report on all types of inspections you might be interested in getting. It too is very dry just so you know.