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The home-buying process can be confusing. It seems like there’s always something else you need to schedule or pay for.

When it comes to home inspections, you might wonder if they’re really necessary. The importance of home inspections outweighs the time and cost. It could save you a lot of trouble and more money in the future.

Keep reading to learn why you need a home inspection.

Cost-Effective

You can expect a home inspection to cost between $300 and $500. Compared to the amount you’re investing in the home purchase, the inspection cost is minor to get the peace of mind of knowing what’s happening with the home.

If the home has issues, the costs will likely be much higher than the inspection cost. The average cost of foundation repair is $4,408. A roof replacement costs an average of $7,875.

You can save yourself a lot of money by investing a small amount in the inspection.

Provides an Overall Evaluation of the Home

Most homeowners aren’t experts in construction. An inspector gives you an expert look at the home. You get an overall evaluation of the condition of the house, even if there aren’t any issues, which gives you an informed look at what you’re buying.

Uncovers Hidden Problems

Homes often look like they’re in good shape to the average person. But major issues could be lurking in the walls, on the roof, or in other hard-to-reach areas.

An inspector knows what to look for when it comes to potentially serious problems that need to be fixed. Those issues could cost you thousands of dollars. If you don’t know about them before you close on the home, you might find yourself in a difficult financial situation where you can’t afford all of the work.

Inspectors look for issues throughout the home, including:

  • Roof
  • Structural issues
  • HVAC system
  • Plumbing
  • Electrical system
  • Ceiling
  • Floors
  • Walls
  • Windows
  • Water damage
  • Cracks
  • Pest infestations

The inspector will look at the home thoroughly inside and outside the home. A thorough report covers anything that the inspector finds. The inspection could reveal some major issues, so you can decide how to handle the issues.

Increases Safety

Not all safety issues are easy to spot. You could buy a home that’s unsafe due to faulty wiring, carbon monoxide leaks, radon, or other issues.

By having a home inspection performed, you can reduce the risk of those potential dangers in your new home. If the hazards are minor, you can get them repaired easily before you move in to keep your family safer. If the inspection doesn’t turn up any hazards, you have peace of mind knowing that you’re moving into a safe house.

Provides Leverage in Negotiations

If the home inspection turns up issues with the house, you have a bargaining chip. You can use the information to negotiate with the buyer to get a better deal.

One option is to negotiate a lower selling price. If the home has major issues that you didn’t know about when presenting the offer, you can ask the buyer to lower the selling price. This lowers your payments and frees up more money to tackle the work you’ll have to do on the house.

You can also negotiate to have the seller fix the issues before you close on the home. You might ask them to handle the repairs or give you a credit to go toward the cost of the repairs. You’ll handle the work yourself, but you’ll have money to cover some or all of the costs.

A home inspection won’t always help you with negotiations. If the inspector doesn’t find anything significantly wrong with the house, you don’t have much room for negotiation. 

Certain selling situations might also make it difficult to negotiate a lower price. In a competitive market where a seller receives lots of offers, you likely won’t want to ask for a lower price. The seller can simply move to another offer.

Foreclosures and homes sold as-is are other situations where you won’t likely be able to negotiate. It’s still important to get an inspection in these situations, though, because you know what you’re buying and what problems you’re getting.

Offers a Contingency to Get Out of the Purchase

No matter how much you love a home, the home inspection could reveal problems so serious that you decide it’s not the right house for you. Perhaps the house has major structural damage or needs lots of things replaced or repaired.

Even if you decide you can handle the issues, you might end up walking away from the deal. If you and the buyer can’t come to an agreement on a lower price or credits for the repairs, you could decide to withdraw your offer.

The home inspection gives you an out if the home isn’t what you expected.

Helps You Plan for the Future

Some of the issues the home inspector finds might not be deal-breakers for the home sale. The inspector might let you know that the HVAC system only has a few years left in it or that the roof will need to be replaced within five years.

You might not negotiate these things into the home sale, but they’re good things to know before you invest in the home. The inspection report gives you a way to predict the near future and the potential repairs and associated costs you’ll need to handle.

A home inspection isn’t a guarantee that anything will last a certain amount of time. The furnace could break down the day after you close on the home.

But it helps you plan for future repairs and have an idea of what you’re getting into when you purchase the house. You can determine if the potential repairs will be something you can afford. You can also start budgeting for the larger expenses that you’ll likely have.

Understanding the Importance of Home Inspections

The importance of home inspections is true for homes of all ages. Getting a thorough inspection of a home helps you make an informed decision about the purchase and negotiations.

Schedule an inspection today whether you’re buying a new home or want to learn more about your current home.