I’ve been trying to buy a house for a while. I may have landed on one finally. The property is in a good shape and it is well clear it was well taken care of. A few home inspections I witnessed were superficial. It was occasionally helpful with a run down house. This time, I am wondering if I need to go through with it again.
We always insist on a thorough home inspection on any property we buy, and we always have an inspection done on the property we’re selling before we put it up for sale to ensure no surprises either way. We think it’s money well spent.
Ask around or Google for a well-rated inspection company in your area. The money you spend is a pittance compared to the trouble you avoid.
ETA: With the companies we’ve used, if they miss something in the inspection and an issue comes up within the first year, the inspection company pays for the repair.
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A home inspection can be “for informational purposes only” and not require action from the seller. If the market is competitive, you run the risk of another buyer not wanting one and hence getting the house.
But personally I would not buy a house without a qualified inspection. Both my kids bought houses recently and both had inspections.
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Don’t hire the inspector recommended by your realtor, mortgage broker, or anyone associated with the property. Call a few contractors in your area- they’ll recommend someone who recognizes a problem when they see one. They know the difference between a water stain and mildew, they’ll recognize the signs of a poorly remediated leaking oil tank; they’ll suss out a slapped on paint job to disguise a leaking ceiling.
I’ve lived in houses built in the 1930’s and my current house, built in the 1990’s. The newer house has been nothing but aggravation. I wish I’d done a more thorough inspection. But at the time, H and I said “the house is 10 years old, how bad could it be?”
Answer- pretty bad.
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Prior to listing, we fix anything that comes up in the inspection (fortunately, never had a big item) and give the report to our agent to share with any potential buyers as a selling feature (this is a “clean” house), but every one of our buyers has also run their own inspection for validation. Everyone we know does this. Maybe an AZ thing?
ETA: Listen to @blossom.
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D and SIL nearly bought a house which was beautifully renovated. Thankfully they had a home inspection done: there were major issues which were covered up cosmetically
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Another important benefit of an inspection is that you have documentation for negotiation. The company that inspected our cabin told us that we would be the owner who had to replace the roof. We were able to use the detail in the report to negotiate on sale price.
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S2 had an inspection done on the 50’s home they bought — the stucco (common where they are) had completely separated from the structure but you couldn’t tell from the outside. The sellers were so anxious to sell (S2 could close almost immediately, none of the other offers could) that they did some sort of magic the result of which was money to re-side that whole end of the house.
Always get an inspection.
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We bought my IL’s house, they were initially insulted we wanted an inspection)even though I think we needed it for the mortgage anyway). We needed to know if things were going to go south. When I sold my parents home, it was inspected, good for the buyers, there was asbestos we didn’t know about (we had paperwork from a previous asbestos abatement, this one I guess they didn’t know about). Turned out the main water pipe from the house to the curb needed replacement, had to dig up the lawn/sprinklers. I think there was one other thing.
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My dilemma is it is a small town. There’s only one inspector. They had clauses that get them off the hook if they miss anything under the surface. I had him before on a house I was considering. He ran appliances, etc. but nothing really revealing. The owners are as fastidious as can be. More than I could ever be.
I don’t think it’s about fastidious.
Appliances these days aren’t built for the two decade timeframe our parents were. Replacing a part can cost almost as much as a new machine. Termites don’t care if you are fastidious or not. A small leak in a crawl space which goes undetected can cause a lot of damage-- even a fastidious homeowner isn’t doing a major walkthrough every few months with a sensor to measure water in the walls! And a cursory look at a beam won’t tell you if there’s wood rot.
Can’t you use an inspector from a few towns over and pay them for drive time?
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Kinda sounds like you’d already decided against it.
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The only reason not to get an inspection, imo, is if you’re in a highly competitive sellers market, it’s the only way to get an edge over other buyers, and you’re prepared to cover costs for any surprises. When we bought this house, there had been a complete inspection for an earlier buyer - there were financial problems during escrow so the contract fell through. We used a second inspector for our contract and were given a copy of the first report. The two reports were very thorough and gave slightly different pictures. (Plus Coralbrook kindly took a look at the property, which was very helpful.)
But it sounds like your inspector is not a certified Home Inspector if all he checks is for running water and working outlets (guessing). Our seller had a big binder full of all purchases, maintenance, and repairs that they had done, both routine and based on the first home inspection. They were very cooperative. Does your seller have these kind of detailed records showing all of the maintenance and any repairs? Do they have a record of the age of the furnace, hot water heater, roof, etc.?
If all you’re going by is that the house looks well taken care of, I agree with trying to find a certified home inspector and cover travel costs.
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Side note - we were selling my mom’s condo in suburban Chicagoland nine years ago. We got an offer for all cash, short close, and no inspection. Sounds like a California offer, I said. Sure enough, the buyers were from Sierra Madre and knew what kinds of offers worked in Southern California at that time.
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I would definitely not buy a home (including new) without a certified inspection by an independent contractor that does not also work for the county or the city. Preferably have some structural background, etc. In addition, make sure the current homeowner (if it is a resale) provides you with the certificate of occupancy and any certificate of completions for remodels and add ons (e.g, finished basement, added bathroom, 3rd garage). The inspectors should be looking to ensure everything meets code as well.
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No, you guys are changing my mind successfully. Can’t get another inspector, that I know. He is certified and thorough enough. I will do it. As @ChoatieMom pointed out, it could be a negotiating tool.
@Marilyn It’s not California but pretty competitive. I expect it will get worse. It’s the fifth property I am putting an offer. I was getting impatient.
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Good luck, @Iglooo. I hope this one works out for you.
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It’s a buyers market in most places and you’re spending hundreds of thousands or more.
So it seems a small expense.
In this market, I would but obviously it’s not required.
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My parents had a file with copies of everything that had been done to the home in close to 50 years (my dad was a bit ocd and extremely organized), we even ended up using the asbestos company my parents used decades ago. The problems the inspector found wouldn’t have been found by your average buyer/seller.
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Good luck! It really is hard out there – one of my kids made 11 offers, always undercut by a cash corporate flipper. Another had a unique problem – where they live, there are very few homes on the market so you don’t have much of a choice, even though the competition is small. But stay persistent and positive !