Inspecting a Home Before Buying

The process of buying a home can be stressful. Inspecting a home before buying is supposed to give you peace of mind, but often has the opposite effect. You will be asked to absorb a lot of information in a short time. This often includes a written report, checklist, photographs, environmental reports, and what the inspector himself says during the inspection. All this combined with the seller’s disclosure and what you notice yourself makes the experience even more overwhelming. What should you do? Relax. Most of your inspection will be maintenance recommendations, life expectancies and minor imperfections. These are nice to know about.

buying a home

When inspecting a home before buying, the issues fall into four categories:

  1. Major defects. An example of this would be a structural failure.
  2. Things that lead to major defects. A small roof-flashing leak, for example.
  3. Things that may hinder your ability to finance, legally occupy, or insure the home.
  4. Safety hazards, such as an exposed, live buss bar at the electric panel.

What happens after the inspection?

Anything in these categories should be addressed. Often a serious problem can be corrected inexpensively to protect both life and property (especially in categories 2 and 4). Most sellers are honest and are often surprised to learn of defects uncovered during an inspection. Realize that sellers are under no obligation to repair everything mentioned in the report. No home is perfect. Keep things in perspective. Don’t kill your deal over things that don’t matter. It is inappropriate to demand that a seller address deferred maintenance, conditions already listed on the seller’s disclosure, or “nit-picky items”.

Benefits to Home Buyers

  • Know exactly what you’re buying––old or new.
  • Provides peace of mind, helps you to make a sound home buying decision
  • Reveals the need for repairs or replacements before you buy
  • Limits the number of surprises you may discover after you move in
  • Gives you invaluable details about your new home: the condition of the property, where the main shutoff valves to the utilities are located, how the house operates, and more!

Lakes Area Home Inspections will provide you with a peace of mind no matter what type of real estate transaction you are about to undertake. A detailed, well documented inspection, is a worthwhile investment in your future when buying any property, new or old.

I've hired Kyle for 2 home inspections in the past year. Both times he was professional, easy to work with, and provided very detailed inspections and easy to follow reports afterwards. Basically, just a good guy doing a good job. 5/5 would recommend.

Noah Sager Avatar Noah Sager

If I could give 10 stars, I would! Kyle is definitely a professional. From start to finish, he kept me informed on his findings throughout the house, showed me pictures, and gave me recommendations on how to remedy any potential issues. Even hours after the inspection was finished, I sent Kyle a message with some additional questions. He responded right away and gave his honest feedback. I would HIGHLY recommend Kyle to anyone looking for a great inspector that is diligent and honest. Thank you again for all of your help!

Michael James Avatar Michael James

We were able to schedule quickly. Kyle was prompt (actually early), very professional, thorough and explained his process and his findings. He was very responsive to my follow-up questions. We would highly recommend Kyle for your inspection needs.

Chris Barker Avatar Chris Barker
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