Why should I get a home inspection?

Here at HSH Property Inspection  we believe each inspection must meet the needs of our client and only our client.  We work for you, not the seller, not the realtor, and providing you with false or incomplete information provides us no benefit. We provide a professional home inspection that will provide you with a better understanding of the house you are looking at. As a result, you will have a better comfort level moving forward with your purchase.  We will also explain how some of the features of your home work so you are better prepared to maintain your home when you move in. We will also go through some things to keep in mind when it comes to the changing seasons here in Wisconsin.  Keep in mind that a home inspection cannot always find every problem or issue that may arise. However, a quality home inspection can provide you with an extensive amount of information regarding the condition of the property and its components. Home inspectors are generalists in that an inspection is a review of all major components of a home. Imagine what the cost of an inspection would be if you were to hire an electrician, plumber, roofer, HVAC, carpenter, structural engineer, general contractor, etc. to review each system in the home. Obviously, the costs would be extensive, not to mention trying to schedule everyone. With this in mind, the cost of a professional home inspection is a bargain.

BUYERS

Buying a home? The process can be stressful. A home inspection 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. However, the issues that really matter will fall into four categories:
  • Major defects. An example of this would be a structural failure.
  • Things that lead to major defects. A small roof-flashing leak, for example.
  • Things that may hinder your ability to finance, legally occupy, or insure the home.
  • Safety hazards, such as an exposed, live buss bar at the electric panel.
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

SELLERS 

Eventually your buyers are going to conduct an inspection. You may as well know what they are going to find by getting there first. Having an inspection performed ahead of time helps in many other ways:
  • It allows you to see your home through the eyes of a critical third-party.
  • It helps you to price your home realistically.
  • It permits you to make repairs ahead of time so that ...
  • Defects won't become negotiating stumbling blocks later.
    • There is no delay in obtaining the Use and Occupancy permit.
    • You have the time to get reasonably priced contractors or make the repairs yourself, if qualified.
  • It may encourage the buyer to waive the inspection contingency.
  • It may alert you of items of immediate personal concern, such as radon gas or active termite infestation.
  • It may relieve buyer's concerns and suspicions.
  • It reduces your liability by adding professional supporting documentation to your disclosure statements
  • Alerting you to immediate safety issues before agents and visitors tour your home.
Copies of the inspection report along with receipts for any repairs should be made available to potential buyers.

INVESTORS

Investing in real estate can yield huge profits, but the wrong property with too many costly issues in too short of a time period could mean ruin or loss of valuable income.  An accurate and thorough inspection of your investment property will give you a better idea of future repairs and maintenance that will need to be budgeted for so you can develop and affective profit strategy.

A quality inspection will provide approximate timelines of future expenses and point out areas of concern.  Investment properties are unique investment and you should make sure your inspector has expertise in investment property to help you maximize your profit margin. 

HOME CHECK-UP

The purpose of the home check up is to aide a home owner in maintaining their investment through proper maintenance and timely repairs.  A qualified home inspector will provide you with basic maintenance tips and a timeline for expected repairs and upkeep expenses to anticipate.

A quality inspection can also identify areas of potential savings and also ways to increase the efficiency of your home systems.  The savings likely would pay for the cost of the inspection in the first year following the inspection.