Home Inspections - How Can You Tell Good From Bad?
You may be wondering, how can you tell a good home inspection from a bad one. In general, you should avoid homes that look like they have been "accidentally" turned upside down at some point during the construction process. Especially with construction in the Houston area, most homes are supposed to be inspected well before they are completed.
When there is a bad or poor quality home inspection done, you will find that the Home Inspection Montgomery County TX had a conflict of interest. A home inspection done by a contractor may be biased against their home. It may be for financial reasons as well.
Many home inspectors that work for real estate agents, appraisers, or lenders also have a vested interest in not finding problems with your home. In other words, they will have the opportunity to get a commission for a problem with your home that is revealed through a home inspection. This includes things like having a window cracked to allow sunlight in during a winter season.
Having a problem uncovered when you are buying a home is often very upsetting. It's not that bad for the seller though. Even though the home is not up to code, they are usually allowed to fix it before the deal closes. In some cases, if there are repairs that need to be done after the closing date, you will be able to buy the house without needing to pay for all of the repairs.
The problem comes when a real estate agency does an inspection and finds out that a few problems still exist. In these cases, the real estate agent has no recourse. The agency will require the seller to pay for the repairs out of their own pocket, but the seller may not be given the option to choose whether or not they want to have the problem repaired on their own.
If you are doing the purchase of a home, you should get a written offer and contract that require the seller to agree to any repairs that the real estate agent recommends. These repairs should be handled by a licensed, bonded professional, preferably a contractor. When you do not agree to such things, your options become much more limited.
Home inspections should be taken by the buyer as soon as possible. This is not only because of the financial repercussions, but also to make sure that any problems were found as soon as possible. Sometimes things take awhile to appear on their own. This inspection should be given long before any type of repairs or problems are required.
After you are satisfied that the home has been properly inspected, the next step is to list the home for sale. It is a good idea to get quotes from multiple companies before listing the home. Listing the home without getting quotes can hurt your bottom line. Getting multiple quotes can help you get a better price for the home.
If the home inspector recommends that there are some repairs needed, there is no reason to ignore the problem. The seller must agree to the repairs. Although this is only a recommendation, you cannot ignore it. There are usually a set of guidelines that the inspector will require the seller to follow to make sure the repairs are done correctly.
One of the most annoying parts of a home inspection is when the inspector tells you that something in the home was a problem before, but was not considered a big problem at the time of the inspection. You may have noticed the problem in the past, but when the inspector looks back, it appears to be a bigger problem. Then you discover that the issue was never addressed, and now you are stuck paying for the repairs that were not done.
In some instances, a home inspection can be great. It can reveal things that could have been hidden during the construction of the home. Home inspectors are trained to find and report these things so you will not have to suffer from a hidden problem.
Home inspections can be helpful and still have their drawbacks. Keep in mind that there are times when you may be able to avoid problems, or be confused about certain things.
