General home inspections are essential to the homebuying process. They provide homeowners and prospective buyers with vital information about their property that can influence everything from repair decisions to asking prices. In the long run, they’ll save you time and money. Here’s what you need to know before hiring a home inspector.

Your Guide to General Home Inspections

What do home inspections include?

Home inspections provide in-depth evaluations about a property’s interior and exterior components, along with a visual analysis of the home’s condition, from top to bottom. The inspector’s goal is to determine the overall functionality and safety of each system and then provide a thorough report on their findings. Areas inspected include the heating and air conditioning systems, roofing, flooring, electrical systems, plumbing, doors, windows, the foundation, and the basement.   

When is the best time to schedule an inspection?

Current homeowners who plan to sell their house in the near future should schedule a general home inspection several months before putting it on the market. This gives them ample time to make necessary repairs, as well as a better sense of how much to sell it for. Prospective buyers should hire a home inspector after making an offer on a property; make sure the offer is contingent on the results of the examination. If damages are discovered, the buyer should ask the seller to make repairs.

Can a home fail an inspection?

Home inspectors don’t pass or fail a property. Inspections are designed to provide interested parties with detailed information about the house. Those details are used to make vital decisions, such as determining what repairs are needed or deciding whether to buy a property after damages are found.   

Who should be in attendance during an inspection?

Although it’s not required, you should be present so that you can ask pertinent questions and get the information you want about the home. For example, you may have had uncommon plumbing issues in the past that you want the inspector to look into. You’ll also gain a better understanding of the inspector’s report since you’ll have seen the inspection process.  

 

When you need a reliable home inspector, contact New Home Inspectors. They take pride in conducting thorough general home inspections. Serving Huntington, East Northport, Suffolk, and Nassau Counties, this certified and insured company assesses every element of a home to provide detailed information that benefits both homeowners and buyers. They can also conduct termite and rodent inspections. Visit the company online to learn more about their team, or call (631) 368-1800 to schedule an appointment.