Buying or Selling a Home? You’re going to want to know what is a home inspection.

For most perspective home owners, a home inspection is a safe guard to insure their greatest purchase is sound inside and out!

One of the more prevalent misunderstandings about your home inspection is that it’s a PASS or FAIL type of a thing and that the inspector themselves control whether your home is fit to be purchased!

In reality, a home inspection is simply a limited, non-invasive examination of the condition of a home. Home inspections are usually conducted by a trained and certified person who’ll take an educated look at things such as your electrical panel, water pressure, search for any signs of leaks or rot and general indications of any invasive pests that may be calling the home…HOME!

What Does the Home Inspection Entail?

Amongst the items we’ve already mentioned, the inspector will check major structural items like the roof, basement, and foundation as well as systems that serve the house like the heating system, water heater, air-conditioning system, and plumbing. It should be noted, the inspector will only be able to view and report on things that are visible to them.

They may also note improper building practices, those items that require extensive repairs, items that are general maintenance issues, as well as some fire and safety issues. However, a home inspection is not technically exhaustive and does not imply that every defect will be discovered. Some inspection companies offer 90-day limited warranties to protect clients from unexpected mechanical and structural failures; otherwise, inspectors are not responsible for future failures.

What Happens After the Home Inspection?

Once these and other system wide examinations of your potential new home are completed, these men and women prepare and deliver to the client a written report of findings. The client, with the help of their Real Estate Professional then uses the information on the report to make an informed decisions about their pending real estate purchase or any repairs indicated on the report they may want the seller to perform before proceeding.

The home inspector describes the condition of the home at the time of inspection but does not guarantee future condition, efficiency, or life expectancy of systems or components. It should also be noted, the inspector is not there to verify compliance with appropriate or current codes.

A general inspection standard for all types of buildings can be found at the National Academy of Building Inspection Engineers. These standards serve as a minimum level of care required by the various associations mentioned; many inspectors exceed these standards within their basic inspection or offer additional services such as inspecting pools, sprinkler systems, checking radon levels, and inspecting for wood destroying organisms.

Please feel free to contact me for a full list of Home Inspectors in the area.

I am passionate about Real Estate and eager to answer all of your real estate questions! Text or Call me at 360-880-2356 or email me directly to ask about Buying, Selling or Investing in today's Real Estate Market - serving Lewis County & Thurston County, WA.

Janet Simons | Certified Residential Specialist | Real Estate Broker
Mountain Valley Real Estate