Without an inspection, buying a house can be scary. It might look okay on the outside, but you don’t know what problems actually exist in your new home.
Buying without getting your home inspected is a huge financial and safety risk. There may be house issues that the previous homeowner covered up or wasn’t aware of themselves.
There’s no reason not to get an inspection. If nothing else, you are hiring a home inspector for peace of mind. But there are even greater benefits of home inspections. Keep reading to see why it’s so important.
1. Remove Risk
The biggest benefit of hiring a home inspector is removing unnecessary risk with the purchase of your home. For most people, your home is your biggest purchase and investment.
By hiring a home inspector, you can reduce a lot of risks. They might reveal that the roof is in bad shape or really old. Roofs can cost up to $20,000 or more to replace. You might find out the house has a bad furnace or uneven flooring.
These are large problems that can cost a lot of money to fix, especially if you didn’t see them coming. A proper home inspection illuminates these issues so you can make an informed purchase decision.
2. Save Money
Home inspector pricing stays pretty consistent. If your home is much larger than average, or if you’d like additional testing, such as radon testing in the basement, you may pay more. The average home inspector cost is $400.
But if you find any major issues with the home, such as a damaged chimney, water damage, mold, or faulty structure, you may be able to negotiate the cost of the home.
Negotiations based on issues with the home can often save thousands of dollars. So home inspections have the ability to save you a lot of money on your purchase.
3. Buy With confidence
Buying a home is scary. It involves a lot of money and long-term thinking.
Many people often choose to buy a home out of emotion. They might love the neighborhood or love the way the home looks. They might fall in love with the backyard and decide to buy.
Even if you choose a house based on emotion, you can justify the purchase with a home inspection. If any major issues come up, you usually have the option of withdrawing your offer and not buying the house.
This helps you make the best decision with a level head, rather than an impulse or fleeting emotion.
4. Inspect With Proper Tools
You might be tempted to forgo a proper inspection due to your own understanding of how homes work. But no matter what type of experience you have in construction, architecture, or engineering, you need to hire a qualified inspector.
They have the proper tools to effectively check beneath the surface of your home. They aren’t just looking at what’s visible but using really expensive tools and equipment. They can see under the surface.
Plus, certified home inspectors receive frequent training to ensure they are always up to date on best practices, trained to see what others can’t. This is their sole occupation. Don’t try to do it yourself.
5. Ensure Safety
There are many potential hazards involved with moving into a new home. You never know what kind of issues you might expose your family to without a proper inspection.
For example, you might think the electrical wiring is fine. But an inspector might see that the wiring is outdated or that some outlets were installed by someone who isn’t a qualified electrician.
In this case, the wiring could be dangerous, especially for small children who might be tempted to tamper with outlets.
Your new home could also have high levels of radon, which is a harmful, tasteless, odorless gas linked with lung cancer. While you could schedule a separate radon inspection, you can save money by bundling it with your initial home inspection.
Do your family a favor by scheduling an inspection to ensure health and safety.
6. Find Out About Non-Permitted Improvements
When homeowners complete large projects in or on their homes, they are usually required to have the project permitted by the city to ensure it meets building requirements. Many neglect this and do whatever they want in their homes.
The problem is that many of these DIY projects could be unsafe, could be against building code, and could cost a lot of money to fix. While you might appreciate the extra bedroom they constructed or the walls they tore down, if they weren’t done properly, you could end up paying for it.
Even when homeowners get a project permitted and approved, it doesn’t mean the work was completed by a professional. Being aware of these projects and issues can help you make a better buying decision.
7. Learn About Your New Home
Are you buying your first home? There’s no better way to learn about your new house than by attending your home inspection. Following your inspector around as they examine the house is totally optional, but it’s worth taking the time to accompany them.
Sure, you’ll get a home inspection report detailing all issues whether or not you attend the inspection. But you will learn far more about the house, the good, the bad, and the ugly when you participate.
They may spot things in the home that wouldn’t necessarily qualify as an issue but could provide advice or recommendations on. Given that an inspection is generally only about 2 hours, it helps to stick around.
Hiring a Home Inspector? Choose Wisely
As you can see, there is no reason not to hire a home inspector when buying a new house. It helps to eliminate risk, potentially saves a lot of money, and provides peace of mind. Moving into an inspected home will boost your feelings of safety and security.
But not all home inspections are created equal. When hiring a home inspector, make sure they are okay with you joining them and asking questions. Find out how long they have been in business and how often they attend further training.
For those in Northeast Ohio, you can schedule an affordable and thorough home inspection today with Class Home Inspection.