Tips for a Thorough Home Inspection

Home inspections, while not mandatory, are an important part of the homebuying process. They can help you spot potentially dangerous and expensive issues in a property before you buy it, which may be a valuable negotiating tool.

But home inspectors aren’t infallible, and they may miss things sometimes. So, how can you ensure the inspection goes smoothly and potential problems are identified? Here’s how:

• Use care when choosing your inspector. To make sure you get an experienced and qualified home inspector, ask for trusted referrals. Then, research the reviews and credentials for those inspectors. You can then call and interview a few before selecting someone to work with.
  
• Attend the inspection. We can attend the inspection together to ensure nothing is missed. We’ll walk the property with the inspector, asking questions as we go — but not getting in the way of their job. Once the inspection is done, you can ask for a quick run-through of any problematic areas they saw.
  
• Ensure they see the whole house. To truly assess a home’s condition, the inspector needs to go everywhere on the property. The seller should make sure the yard and doorways are clear so the inspector can physically evaluate everything in the home from top to bottom.
  
• Follow up with your inspector. Once you get the full inspection report, go through it carefully. If there’s anything noted that concerns or confuses you, call up the inspector and talk through it. You can also ask for a re-inspection if it feels appropriate.

It can be hard to prove that an inspector missed a problem — or that a seller knew about it — once you live in the home, so ensuring your inspection is done properly from the start is key.

Get in touch if you have more questions about homebuying or need help finding a trusted professional.