Before you buy, you should protect your investment. A thorough home inspection is the best way to guarantee that you are well-informed and able to make a good decision about what house you purchase.
A thorough home inspection is a wise investment when purchasing any home, even if it is brand new. (Government officials are seldom thorough, and specialize in only one area, such as structure, mechanical plumbing and heating, or electrical). A professional and properly trained home inspector will have a broad range of understanding in all of these fields, and hopefully in others, such as mold, lead, radon, asbestos, pests, moisture control, and ventilation.
A home inspection is not an evaluation of a home’s value or suitability for a family’s needs (a home appraiser spends about 15 minutes in a home; an inspector should spend about 4 hours). Instead it is a thorough and objective evaluation of the home’s structural integrity, compliance with mechanical and electrical codes, safety for inhabitants, and an insight toward problems or expenses that a home buyer will likely incur over time.
A home inspection is only as good as the education, experience, knowledge, and thoroughness of the inspector. While many inspectors spend 2 hours or less in a home, keep in mind that the inspection process is an attempt to determine every problem, flaw, safety hazard, and violation of codes past and present for you and your family.
A home inspection does not seek to encourage or discourage you from buying the home. After all, you already want the home and hence have hired an inspector. Instead, the home inspection is an educational process for you, so that you fully understand the home you are buying.
A good home inspection is therefore thorough, accurate, and educational. It should be informational and interesting. You should learn a great deal about you r home, how it works and how to improve it, what to be careful of, and most importantly, how to make it safer for yourself and those you love.