If you’re about to embark on purchasing a new home, it will certainly be in your best interest to have a home inspection completed.
Not only should you get it done for your own peace of mind, but most lenders will require that you have a building inspection completed before they will proceed with the loan. The lending institution has just as much skin in the game as you do, so that is why they require the inspection to be completed.
The process of getting a home inspection involves hiring a company who will send out a building inspector who will go through the home you are looking at purchasing. With you present, the home inspector goes through the whole home, and does an in depth inspection to make sure nothing in is need of major repair that may not be visible on the surface.
In short, a home inspector goes through a home and checks fixtures, plumbing, wiring, and the foundations of the house to make sure it is all structurally sound. Then they’ll inspect the outside of the home along with the roof to make sure there isn’t any exterior damage.
In additon to the home inspection, it would also be in your best interest to inspect for wood boring insects, such as termites which can wreak havoc on your houses structure.
Pest inspections are also required by banks and lenders before they’ll grant a loan.
Some inspection companies offer both building and pest inspections and some don’t, Inspect East do offer both.
Aside from being required by lenders, it’s still very much in your best interest to have an inspection completed. They cost anywhere from $300 to $1000+ depending on the size of the home, and you are allowed to be present and ask questions through the entire inspection.
Think about this; imagine you found your dream home and went ahead and purchased without an inspection. Everything is fine when you move in and all is good in the world and your family is super happy and excited. Then a few days later it pours down rain and water starts coming through the ceiling. There’s a ceiling issue that wasn’t identified!
After this kind of experience you’ll certainly be wishing you’d had the inspection. While it might sound far fetched, these kind of things do happen. So don’t take the risk because a new roof can cost anywhere from $15,000 to $30,000+.
If you get the inspection done, you can have the peace of mind that your house is in good order and is safe to live in for you and your family. In case anything does go wrong though, and it’s covered under the house inspection, you can hold the inspection company accountable for those damages and not be out of pocket yourself.
In summary, a house inspection is extremely important for both you and your lender. You both have a large interest in the property so just go ahead and get the inspection done so you can sleep easier at night.