Your Home Inspection Checklist

Plano home buyers know it is best for them to have a professional home inspection prior to buying their home.  Plano real estate agents advise buyers to always get a home inspection.  Many purchase contracts contain a couple of pages that talk about the importance of getting a home inspection.  A home buyer does not make it to closing escrow without hearing about the need for a home inspection. But what does a home inspection report disclose? Home buyers are often clueless about home construction and its components, and have difficulty deciphering their home inspection report. They don't know how to figure decide which defects are serious or just simple deferred maintenance.  To add even more confusion all home inspections are different and can vary dramatically from state to state and city to city.  

List of Items Not Inspected

In many states home inspectors are not required to be licensed.  Licensed or not, a home inspector's standard practice typically does not include the following, for which a specific license to inspect and identify is required:

 ·      Asbestos

·        Radon

·        Wood Destroying Infestations

·         Mold & Mildew

·         Rodents

·         Lead

Your General Home Inspection Checklist

·         Structural Elements.
Construction of walls, ceilings, floors, roof and foundation.

·         Exterior Evaluation.
Wall covering, landscaping, grading, elevation, drainage, driveways, fences, sidewalks, fascia, trim, doors, windows, lights and exterior receptacles.

·         Electrical.
Main panel, circuit breakers, types of wiring, grounding, exhaust fans, receptacles and light fixtures.

·         Roof and Attic.
Framing, ventilation, type of roof construction, flashing and gutters.

·         Plumbing.
Identification of pipe materials used for potable, drain, waste and vent pipes. including condition. Toilets, showers, sinks, faucets and traps.   

·         Systems and Components.
Water heaters, furnaces, air conditioning, duct work, chimney, fireplace and sprinklers.

·         Appliances.
Dishwasher, range and oven, built-in microwaves, garbage disposal and smoke detectors.

Your Checklist Items Needing Service

Home inspection reports do not describe the condition of every component if it's in excellent shape, but should note every item that is defective or needing service. The serious problems are:

 ·         Health and safety issues

·         Moisture / drainage issues

·         Roofs with a short life expectancy

·         Furnace / A/C malfunctions

·         Foundation deficiencies

Checklist Items Sellers Should Fix

It is better to hire your own contractors and supervise repairs. Before issuing a formal request to repair to the seller, consider their incentive to hire the cheapest contractor and to replace appliances with the least expensive items.  Although home inspectors are reluctant to and, in many cases, refuse to estimate repair costs, call a contractor to determine the scope and expense to fix minor problems yourself. No home is in perfect condition. Every home will have issues on a home inspection, even the new homes. Repair issues can be serious, a deal breaker for some buyers, causing them to back out of the contract.  But before considering backing out talk to your , family, friends and call a few contractors to discuss which types of defects are minor and which should be of greater concern.  If you are considering buying a these Home Inspecting rules still apply.  Don’t assume “the house needs everything” and thing you have priced in the repairs.  You will l shocked as to what “everything entails and it’s cost.   When buying any always, always, always get that home inspection done.