Thinking about skipping a home inspection to save a few hundred dollars?
Be forewarned, the few hundred dollars that you saved up front could end up costing you a few thousand in the long run, if not more!
First things first, let’s talk through what a home inspection is. A home inspection is similar to a physical that you get from a doctor. It’s a thorough evaluation that is going to let you and the inspector know what all is good with the home that you plan to purchase and more importantly what is not so good with the home. All of this is great to know when making such a significant life and financial decision.
Are there cases where there’s virtually nothing wrong or what is wrong is minor? Absolutely! But it’s not possible to know one way or another unless you get the home inspected, which I as a realtor always recommend, even if for no other reason than the peace of mind and being informed about your investment.
Also when advising about home inspections, I always recommend that you have your home inspection performed by a certified professional that has been trained to go through a home from studs to studs and knows exactly what to look for. Not necessarily a handyman (or woman) that may have the skills to identify a few items around a home but hasn’t been professionally trained to perform an actual home inspection.
Typically a professional home inspection will take between 2-3 hours depending on the size of the home. Once the inspection is completed the inspector will talk with you through their findings and provide a general consensus on the overall health of the home, allowing you as a buyer to make informed decisions going forward with your future home.
So what if you’re contemplating purchasing a newly built home so you can bypass the home inspection? Not so fast! A home inspection is just as important on new construction properties. As with resale properties, you want to have a certified professional go through the newly built home from studs to studs to be sure the builders are doing things correctly and not cutting any corners. Once again, this is something you won’t know without having the home properly inspected.
It’s difficult to overstate just how important a home inspection is to the overall process of becoming a homeowner. Whether you’re buying an older property or new construction, the few hundred dollars up front to potentially save thousands on the back end is well worth it.
Still not convinced? Let’s talk more!