Can you afford a Home Inspection?
A better question may be… can you afford NOT to have a Home Inspection? While even a new home can have problems, any home that has been lived in increases the potential for costly hidden issues that you may not notice.
Your first priority should be the safety of you and your family. Once you’ve found that special home, some people begin to overlook issues and not see things as clearly as others. You are just caught up in the excitement of a new home.
Consider a few points here that are basic issues:
- Is the bathroom exhaust fans ventilating properly? If not, the home could develop or already have a costly mold issue.
- Did you find that electrical outlet that was cross wired? If not, this can create a serious safety concern for your family with the potential for electrical shock using any plug in lamp.
- How about that large deck you plan on using for parties. Did you check it for appropriate footings, support, and proper attachment to the house? Decks are a common weekend warrior project, and many times inappropriate materials are used. A collapsed deck would end a party quickly as well as being costly in many ways.
- Does your finished basement look great? Was it done right? In one home inspection I was on, a support wall was removed and a steel post was put in it’s place. Everything was dry walled to look nice. It all would have been fine if they used a beam to support the upper floor instead of 2-2×4’s. It was already showing sagging, and since this was directly below the master bedroom, just imagine what would happen if a water bed was installed. Another potential for costly error.
Another point to consider is that if you decide not to get a home inspection things may be fine. But, come time when you decide to sell the next buyer decides to have a home inspection. Now, any issues found at that time could then come back to you to repair before the sale.
You can see from these few simple points that there are many areas of concern that you would likely not check. Any one of these issues could cost you more than a professional home inspection.
As a home inspector, we are not trained to build homes. We are not trained to be a plumber or an electrician; we are trained in the art of defect recognition. This training is to recognize not just plumbing or electrical defects, but defects in all system components of a home.
So for the health and safety of your family, please consider my services as a licensed Home Inspector to help identify these potential concerns and more in your home.