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What to Expect When You Are Inspecting in 2017
Buying a new home is a considerable investment and you need to make sure that every penny you spend on it counts. The only way to be sure is to hire someone to do a property inspection, but even this is not as easy as it sounds. First of all, you need to find someone who knows what they’re doing. Second, you need to think about your budget. And finally, you need to be present at the spot and do homework on it beforehand. All in all, here are few things you can expect when doing a home inspection in 2017.
Whose Responsibility Is It?
The first thing you should be aware of is the fact that hiring inspectors is the buyer’s responsibility. In other words, they are completely optional and if you don’t feel like it you don’t have to go through with any of this. On the other hand, this has a positive side to it as well. It is in both the seller’s and real-estate agent’s interest that you purchase the property, while inspectors operate with a bit more independence. In other words, they work for you exclusively, which makes them more trustworthy.
What to Look for?
When hiring an inspector, it will be difficult to choose the best inspectors for your home. You can start by looking into their certificates in order to see exactly who you are dealing with. Furthermore, you can also look for any testimonials on their website or try to contact people they previously worked for and hear their impressions. In order to save some money and facilitate the process you’ll need someone capable of dealing with both the building and pest inspection. The best course to take in this case is to compare the services and choose the ones that are a best match for your specific needs. The reason behind this is simple, combined prices usually offer significant discounts.
How Much Does It Cost?
The price of inspection depends on two things. The first one are the local prices and the second one is the size of the place you want inspected. For example, while the inspection of an average home usually amounts to $300, for small houses or condos it can go as low as $200. On the other hand, if your home is 2,000 sq. ft. or larger, the price can be around $400. Logically, the price goes up with the amount of work inspectors are expected to invest. In some extreme circumstances, where inspectors are required to spend more time at your grounds the price may go up, but all of this is more or less negotiable.
What Should Inspection Entail?
Earlier on, we mentioned building and pest inspection. However, what does a building inspection entail? Well, for starters, we are talking about vital structural elements like the foundation, the attic, and the interior and exterior of the house in general. Next, you should focus on things like your appliances, the electrical system and your plumbing. As for pest inspection, homes can have problems with termites, but there are many others, such as cockroaches, ants and even rodents. What they all have in common is that they are hard to eradicate, which is why you should be warned before you actually buy the place.
Few More Tips
If you have time and resources, you should probably keep an eye out for a few more things. Check the building for mold (this you could even do on your own). If the building is a bit older, it is possible that it has lead or asbestos in the construction or paint. Needless to say, living in such an environment can be extremely harmful for you in the long-run.
Conclusion
You can see that home inspection is not nearly as complicated as some people are led to believe. All you need to do is make up your mind on all the inspections you need and make sure this list coincides with your budget. And after all this you have to proceed with looking for the right people for the job. Good luck!
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