Before You Buy: Home Inspection - Part 1

By: LovingPeacefulMama
     Unless you are a do-it-yourselfer or a builder or a contractor, I recommend that you get a home inspection before you buy that dream house.
     Just remember that the home inspector is usually someone that doesn’t specialize in any one part of the house.  The inspector is someone that will find something that can possibly be a problem.  Once the inspector thinks they have found a problem, you need to find a specialist.  So it doesn’t end at one home inspector.  
     Recalled items:
     Occasionally your inspector will offer special perks with their inspection.  One of the perks my inspector offered was listing any appliances in my potential home that may have a recall.  He found the manufacturer contact number and listed the model/serial number.  I was so excited about this perk that was offered on the website, I was thinking, wow, we could just get new appliances if they were listed…..not really understanding that the recalls fix only the part that is faulty…over tired, stressed and not thinking things through. 
     Please note also that the appliances that are in the home fix only the problem, so even if your appliances are on the list, they may just be too old to work in general …so don’t get your hopes up that you will get an appliance that will work like new if it’s on a recall list…if it looks like it’s on its last legs, then you’re probably going to have to replace it anyways.
     You can search each appliance for recalls at : www.cpsc.gov 
     Please note that your inspector whomever he or she is, is only human, so they will probably miss something, they will do their best, but you have the final word and eyes on the home you are buying…be present and watchful.  Unfortunately, you will not be able to pull up carpeting to find out if there was something that was covered up, or knock a hole in the wall to make sure there has not been mold damage.  My inspector had me sign an agreement that stated: 
     We cannot assure you absolutely:

1. That your house is free of major problems, structural or otherwise.  
   
2. That your air or water of the house is clean or even safe.
3. That water will not seep into your basement after prolonged or heavy rains or thawing ground conditions
   
4. Etc...   

     We can assure you:

1. You will experience problems and headaches…Expect the unexpected 
2. That you will readily find opinions that differ from ours  
3. That you will have to spend money on problems or repairs not noted in our inspection.  
   
4. Etc…
   
   

     The reason I am mentioning this is because when we first hired the inspector, I was so relieved thinking that this was one less stress, one less item on my list that I had to worry about. This was not true, the inspector missed something that was so unbelievably apparent as a problem (mold under the kitchen sink). So be aware, listen to your inspector, but still be aware, and good hunting.  Your new home is out there just be patient.