The Importance of Home Inspections: A Guide for Homebuyers

It’s very important to understand the basics of home inspections. A general home inspection will give you an overview of the property’s condition. Keep in mind that the inspector is not an expert in all aspects of the house, just it’s generalities. Here are three things to keep in mind when it comes to home inspections.

1. General Inspections Only

A general home inspection is simply an overview of the property’s current condition. The inspector is not going to describe specifics in great detail about components like the foundation, electrical, or plumbing. They will report what they observe and give very general recommendations on what needs to be done.  The inspector is typically a retired contractor or someone with a lot of experience in construction who has gone through training to know about local and state codes. Ultimately, they are generalists that make observations, so if they notice a significant issue like a vertical crack in the foundation, they will simply report that they saw the crack. To get a more detailed understanding of the issue and its potential cost, it’s recommended to reach out to a specialist, like a foundation expert.

2. No Bids or Estimates

Home inspections will not give you any pricing information for the repairs that need to be done. For example, the inspector may mention that the water heater is not installed up to code, but they won’t provide a cost to correct it. To get a better understanding of the costs, it’s recommended to reach out to contractors to get exact pricing.

3. Take the Report with a Grain of Salt

There is a lot of liability associated with home inspections, so it’s not uncommon for inspectors to make things sound more intense or more expensive than they actually are. This is to protect themselves against potential lawsuits. It’s important to have a little bit of cynicism and take some aspects of the report with a grain of salt. For example, language about not having GFCI outlets may sound extremely scary, but depending on the type of property, it could be a simple fix.  Like our other recommendations, if you see something of concern, there is nothing wrong with getting a second opinion from an expert in that field.

In conclusion, it’s important to understand the basics of home inspections. Keep in mind that the inspector is a generalist and the report will give you a general overview of the property in its current condition.  There will not be any specifics, especially when it comes to pricing. It’s recommended to reach out to specialists and contractors to get a better understanding of any potential issues and their costs.