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You want to avoid any major surprises when you’re considering a new home purchase so contracting with a professional home inspector can alleviate much of the stress and concerns about your prospective home early in the home buying process.
The problem is official home inspections are only required after the signing of an initial contract. It would therefore be wise on your part to know all about the house you are considering buying from the seller himself/herself. You can even ask the seller to allow you to conduct an informal inspection of the property yourself just to check the general condition of the house.
Sellers usually allow prospective buyers to check the condition of the property before any contracts are signed. This can give the buyer some bargaining advantage during negotiation since the buyer is already aware of any damages the property has acquired through time. ‘The Smart Consumer’s Guide to Home Buying’ advocates the use of checklists and taking a note of all known issues regarding the property. The book further explains that conducting an informal inspection is very beneficial to homebuyers, especially those who are considering buying a house that needs renovation.
You need a checklist in inspecting the house to ensure that you cover all important aspects that you need to look at. The information you gather from this checklist can then be used to create a written report to help you in assessing the overall condition of the house. Here are some important matters to include in your checklist:
Learn about the age of the home – you’ll want to find out exactly when the home was built, what types of renovations or new construction took place on the home site, and if there are any architect or engineering plans available.
Check the foundation for potential problems – are there any large cracks or noticeable water problems around the home or in the basement? Ask about flooding issues and weather-related problems that have taken their toll on the home in different seasons.
Examine the interior of the house – Keep an eye for any defects and other potential sources of problems in the interior of the house. Specifically, you need to check if all walls are even with no cracks and if all doors are easily opened and closed. Take a picture of any visible crack, if possible. Check if there are any molds, foul odors and if all water drainages and faucets are working properly.
Inspect the exterior of the house – Check if all windows and doors move smoothly and if these are properly insulated. Inspect the sidings of the house. Look for signs of deterioration.
Examine the heating and air conditioning system – Query the seller about the average cost of operating these systems in a month. You may need to have a new system in place if the old air conditioning system is already inefficient.
Take all the information you gathered and create a written inspection report. You may also use a digital camera or camcorder to take pictures or video clips that you can review later. Video clips and pictures will allow you to document your inspection in more detail. These visual documents may also give you additional negotiation leverage.
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