Jun 30 2009
Home Inspection Helps Ensure Dream Deals Don’t Turn into Nightmares
(ARA) – You found your dream deal on a foreclosed home, but will that great price tag come with a different kind of higher cost? Buying a repossessed property, short sale or a home offered at a bargain price — because of its condition — can mean you’re assuming much higher risks.
Repossessed and short sale homes are often abandoned and neglected, leaving them with much more potential for unforeseen structural defects, plumbing, electrical, heating systems, environmental issues and many other problems. Fixing these woes can cost far more than the financial savings from a distressed property purchase. There also may be unknown defects, such as mold or radon, that could affect your family’s health and safety.
Still, it is possible to get a dream deal on a distressed home. Before you sign on the dotted line, be sure to have the house thoroughly inspected by a professional, so you can reduce these potential risks as well as financial costs. A home inspector can help you identify potential problems in the home you’re considering buying, so you know in advance what you’re getting into — and what you should walk away from.
There are many ways to find a home inspector, including consulting family, friends, your attorney, real estate professional or mortgage professional. You can also find information on inspectors across the country on www.ashi.org, the Web site of The American Society of Home Inspectors, the organization that sets the standards of practice for the inspection industry.
Homebuyers aren’t the only ones who can benefit from a home inspection. If you’re selling your home, having it inspected before you list it may help sell your home in less time and for more money. Moreover, homeowners can benefit from maintenance inspections, such as an energy inspection, which can help reduce monthly energy costs, and a home safety inspection that can help seniors stay in their homes longer.
If you’re thinking of hiring a home inspector, ASHI offers a few tips on how to evaluate candidates:
* Visit the “Find a Home Inspector” section of ASHI’s Web site to find a qualified ASHI inspector in your area. Many inspectors also list their specialties and other background information, such as their experience, on this site.
* Ask the inspector how he operates. What format will the report be in? Ask for sample reports.
* Talk with each candidate to see who is the best fit for your needs and comfort, as well as for the property being inspected.
* Check all references. Don’t automatically go with the lowest price. Remember, the old adage is often true — you get what you pay for.
* Attend the inspection to ensure you get the best value — and most information — for your investment.
A home inspector can be your best ally in ensuring your dream deal doesn’t turn into a nightmare. Visit www.ashi.org and take the Virtual Home Inspector Tour to see and hear more about home inspections.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
Related posts:
- Real Estate: Inspections Save You Money
- Building your dream home – one brick, block or stone at a time
- Spring Home Deals are Healthy for Those Who Know the Score
Give us your rating of this article below!
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...
Great Post on home inspections
What To Expect: Many New Jersey home buyers sometimes buy their home in New Jersey on impulse. Experianced home inspectors can help home buyers avoid buyers remorse by reporting on home defects and problems before the home buyer finds them after closing. As professional New Jersey Home inspectors we at Accurate Inspections, provide our New Jersey home inspection clients with the tools they need to make an educated choice regarding the quality and condition of their potential new home. We inspect for common defects and not so common ones. By hiring an experienced NJ Licensed home inspectors who has your best interest solely in mind, our clients are better able to judge the strengths and weaknesses of the home in which they are under contract to buy. We will inspect the structure, exterior, drainage, grounds, roof, plumbing, electric, heating, thermostats, ac, interior and fireplace the municipality will inspect the smoke alarms in New Jersey. We will provide New Jersey home maintenance suggestions.
Buyers Benefits: A professional New Jersey home inspection is the best way for potential home buyers to effectively evaluate the risks of a property purchase. A major concern of NJ home buyers is being suddenly confronted with major and costly problems after they take possession of a property. A professional pre-purchase home inspection can reduce anxiety by screening for problems and itemizing them in a comprehensive report. This home inspection report may include approximations of repair costs and recommendations of useful upgrades to the property systems. The general result of a professional home inspection is that property buyers make significantly more informed purchases.
Screening for Problems: All homes have strong and weak points, they are not always what they seem. Gain the perspective and sound information you need to make better decisions with a home inspection performed by an experienced professional home inspectors. A good home inspectors works through a very long checklist of potential concerns to identify the major and minor deficiencies in the home. A good report will clearly describe the problems and illustrate them along with the what-to and how-to of repairs.
Provide Owners Benefits: Home owners who are planning to make improvements to their homes in order to increase its market value would be well advised to have it inspected first. A home inspectors can help prioritize home improvements and offer advice on the best ways to approach repairs. More importantly, an inspectors can help the seller identify potential or undiscovered problems before those problems become material for contract contingencies. By taking a pro-active approach one can avoid the frustrations many owners encounter when they are asked to re-negotiate their contracts because of unanticipated problem areas.
Credentials: Like any other professional, home inspectors (even those with licenses) have varied degrees of expertise. All home inspectors should be carefully screened. Inspectors learn from experience. It takes a few thousand inspections and a more than a few complaints for a home inspectors to LEARN what it takes to satisfy clients. I spent seven years as a construction contractor prior to becoming a home inspectors in 1993. I have taught the New Jersey home inspection training class to new inspectors for a few years. I still see things I have never seen before. Would you want the biggest investment of your life inspected by a person who took a three week training class? RECENTLY PASSED LEGISLATION ALLOWS NEW JERSEY HOME INSPECTORS TO BE LICENSED WITH AS LITTLE AS THREE WEEKS OF CLASS ROOM TRAINING AND JUST ONE WEEK IN ACTUAL HOMES. LICENSING IS A MINIMUM QUALIFICATION. MAKE SURE YOU ASK FOR RESUME!