The process of buying a home can be stressful. A home inspection is supposed to give you peace of mind, but often has the opposite effect. You will be asked to absorb a lot of information in a short time. This often includes a written report, a checklist, photographs, environmental reports, and what the inspector himself says during the inspection. All this, combined with the seller’s disclosure and what you notice yourself, makes the experience even more overwhelming. What should you do?
Relax, We are on your side.
Most of your inspection will be maintenance recommendations,
Life expectancies for various systems and components, and minor imperfections. These are useful to know about. However, the issues that really matter during a Home Inspection will fall into these four categories:
- Major defects. An example of this would be a structural failure;
- Things that lead to major defects, such as a small roof-flashing leak, for example;
- Things that may hinder your ability to finance, legally occupy, or insure the home; and
- Safety hazards, such as an exposed, live buss bar at the electrical panel.
Anything in these categories should be addressed. Often, a serious problem can be corrected inexpensively to protect both life and property (especially in categories 2 and 4).
Most sellers are honest and are often surprised to learn of defects uncovered during an inspection. Realize that sellers are under no obligation to repair everything mentioned in the report. No home is perfect. Keep things in perspective. Do not kill your deal over things that do not matter. It is inappropriate to demand that a seller address deferred maintenance, conditions already listed on the seller’s disclosure, or nit-picky items.
We will target the important items in the home and remember an inspection is not for price negotiation but to find out the overall condition of the home. Many items are general yearly home maintenance issues and found in all homes. You have to maintain your home and the inspection report is a guideline to help keep your home and it’s components in good working condition.
Address the high priority items first and use the report as a check list. A home inspection is not to hinder the sale but merely to inform you of the overall condition that the home is in. You have to expect problems to occur every year and staying on top of it will help keep your home’s value high. The home is used, so you can’t expect to have all the items repaired by the seller. That would be unreasonable. It is like buying a used car and asking them to make all repairs, it just is not going to happen. Be reasonable with the findings when you read the report and keep an open mind.
BLACK HILLS PROFESSIONAL HOME INSPECTIONS llc
BLACK HILLS THERMAL IMAGING
Rapid City, South Dakota
209-6766
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2015