Home Inspection Checklist: Here’s What To Look For
Buying your new home is always an exciting and slightly overwhelming experience. There are a lot of new experiences, especially when you’re a first-time homebuyer. If you’ve found yourself a fantastic realtor, you can rest easy knowing you’re in good hands, and they can support you through the process. Part of purchasing a home is the inspection. It’s essentially the green light that the sale can go through, and you can become a homeowner.
Why Is A Home Inspection Required?
Having your potential home inspected is a requirement by your lender to ensure you’re buying a property that doesn’t have any significant issues. Your lender wants to protect their investment, and you don’t want to end up buying a home that may cost you tens of thousands of dollars in repairs within a few years of purchasing.
Choosing A Professional
When you choose a professional to come to do your inspection, you want to ensure you’re choosing a reputable company with great reviews. Someone who will get the job done right the first time is essential in a home inspector. Looking for someone with plenty of experience, credentials, and a long list of happy clients is a great place to start. You may have friends, family, or your realtor who can suggest someone they’ve worked with within the past, or you can take a look online and find a company that stands out to you. Since it’s recommended that you’re present for the inspection, you want to have someone you’re comfortable with who will happily answer any questions you may have. If you find someone willing to take their time and explain the process to you, you’ve likely found the best one.
What’s Inspected?
Here’s a brief rundown of what’s included in an inspection:
Exterior
The exterior of the home includes the foundation, roof, siding, and trim. If there is stucco or paint, it’s checked for damage. All gutters and downspouts should be in working order. If the property has a garage, the roof, driveway, and siding will be checked. Any porches, balconies, decks, and stairs will be inspected. Overall lawn care and quality will be checked for any drainage issues or leaks.
Interior
The home’s interior will include the basement, attic, windows, walls, doors, railings, floors, stairs, and crawl space if accessible. Anything that is easy to get to should be inspected, so inside walls or spaces that can’t be reached will not be. The HVAC system, ventilation, and thermostats will be checked. Electrical including switches, panels, and outlets will be checked. All plumbing, including the water heater, fixtures, faucets, and toilets, will be checked. All appliances should be installed according to manufacturer’s guidelines and be in working order.
After The Inspection
Once the inspection is complete, the results will determine whether or not you proceed with the sale. If there are significant repairs required, the homeowner may negotiate on price to accommodate repairs. If not, you may decide to pull your offer. If there are smaller issues that you were planning on changing anyway, you may decide to proceed.
Sources:
https://www.foreverhomes.ca/15-step-guide-on-buying-a-home/
https://www.fortunebuilders.com/the-ultimate-home-inspection-checklist-for-first-time-homebuyers/
https://www.totalhomeinspection.com/totalhomeinspectionchecklist.pdf
- Follow Alex Platt on:
