Getting a Home Inspection Before Buying -  Not Just A Good Idea…….

Before you finalize your home purchase, be sure it is in good overall condition. The best way is to have House To Home Inspections do a complete-thorough whole house inspection.

Inspecting the physical condition of a home is an important part of the buying process. In most states buyers are aided by laws requiring sellers to disclose pertinent information about not only the condition of the home itself but also potential hazards to the house from floods, fires, earthquakes and the environment. Whether or not the seller provides these disclosures, you should have the home inspected to look for defects, safety concerns and malfunctions in the home's structure; such as the plumbing, roof, foundation or electric and to investigate pest infestations (termite) or damage (if contracted for as an additional service). Instead of relying on the residing homeowner being a foundation or structural inspector, exterior wall-siding specialist, roofer, rough framer, exterior grade inspector, plumber, electrician, HVAC inspector, finish framing carpenter, mold technician, radon tester, pest damage specialist, water quality analyzer, septic system inspector, asbestos technician and etc.; it is a great idea to purchase a home inspection in addition to the owner's disclosure.

The old saying in real estate goes “time is of the essence” and “buyer beware” and those are especially true in any major business deal. A complete & thorough whole house inspection is the best and cheapest “insurance”, or better said, “assurance” that you will ever invest in. Where else can you get such an assurance on such a valuable asset that costs less than half of one percent of the total purchase price of that particular asset?

Although, home inspection results do not last a lifetime, some situations that are present at the time of inspection can lead to a lifetime of problems or potential serious issues. Quite simply our home inspection service assures you that everything is indeed on the up and up with the disclosure and beyond. All of our reports note recent discovered repairs that may indicate a sporadic ongoing problem that will not show its face until weeks after your home purchase.

When to Have the Property Inspected

Most buyers hire us after making an offer on the property. Some will call us before that time to get ahead of "the game".  After the seller has accepted the offer, the buyer arranges and schedules the inspection(s). The offer is commonly made contingent on the home buyers approving the results of one or more inspections. Although it is possible to arrange a professional home  inspection to be done before making a written offer to  purchase, most home buyers prefer to be in contract with the home seller before spending any money on the inspection(s). On the other hand, in a hot market, having an inspection done prior to the offer can be a useful bidding strategy which would allow you to remove that contingency from your purchase offer.

Hire House To Home Inspections

Hire us to inspect all major house systems, from top to bottom, including the roof, plumbing, electrical and heating systems, foundation, and drainage. This will take around three hours and cost you anywhere from $200 to $500, depending on the location, size, age, and type of home. Although it is not necessary, House To Home Inspections recommends that you accompany us during the inspection, so that you can learn more about the maintenance and preservation of the house, ask questions, and get a real sense of which problems are serious and which are relatively minor.

Tips on Choosing a Home Inspector

Be careful about asking your agent for a referral.... Your real estate agent is almost surely anxious and eager that your deal goes through and therefore may recommend a home inspector not overly picky about identifying defects. If you must use a realtor's reference(s), make sure your agent knows that you want a home inspector who is exceptionally thorough.
You can get local referrals and valuable information about home inspections from the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI) at www.nachi.org. Inspectors who are members of NACHI must pass technical exams, meet specific standards of practice and ethics, and, as a condition of membership, are not permitted to do contracting work.

Before finally deciding whom to hire, get references from the inspectors and check the status of each home inspector's certifications with their home inspection association and any complaints. Also check with the consumer protection agency and Better Business Bureau (BBB). A copy of our references is available in the testimonials section of this web site. A certification check can be found by clicking the NACHI "click to verify button on the front/home page.

Be sure to ask the inspector about his or her liability insurance coverage, including "errors and omissions" (E&O) to cover inspector mistakes that may cost you say $2000.00 or more. In the unfortunate event that the inspector that you choose doesn't do the job right, and you need to sue over problems that the he or she missed, such coverage will ensure that money is available to pay your damages. (Realize however, that because a house is a complex structure, and home inspectors can't see through walls, not every problem or defect that pops up later is one that you can sue over.) House To Home Inspections carries sufficient general Liability and Errors and Omissions Insurance and are covered during each and every inspection.

Get a Pest Inspection

It's wise to hire us to perform a special termite inspection on the property. We will look for infestation by termites, termite damage, as well as evidence of dry rot and other fungal conditions. Be sure you get a written report section inside your home inspection report if hiring someone else.

Consider Special Inspections

Depending on the home and your own personal sensitivities, you may want to arrange specialized environmental inspections for hazards such as floods and other natural disasters. Although House To Home Inspections does not perform these types of inspections, we highly urge that you to play it smart and safe and hire us to point out and test for environmental health hazards such as mold, asbestos, and radon. This is your one time chance to do this right so that is why we highly recommend these additional services!

After Our Inspection Is Completed

If the inspection reports show the house is in good or acceptable shape to you, you can proceed with the home purchase, knowing that you're getting what you paid for.

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Cincinnati Real Estate Inspection Services

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