Home Inspections …do I really need one?

After a few weeks of looking for that perfect house we finally find, “The One.” We write up the offer and the sellers accept. What comes next? How can you be sure this house is worth your hard earned money? What are you really getting yourself into? This is where the home inspection comes into play. The inspection period of the sales transaction provides you with an opportunity to do your “due diligence” in investigating the neighborhood, schools, and the house itself. Most people hire a licensed home inspector to go through the house with a fine tooth comb. On the day of the inspection you and your Realtor will meet the inspector at the house. A good inspector will walk you through the house to point out all the “stuff” he discovered wrong with it. One thing to remember, there is going to be “stuff” wrong with the house; probably more “stuff” than you were anticipating. The general purpose of the home inspection is to open your eyes to the next five years. A good inspector will prepare a report for you that can act as your house maintenance road map for the next five years. If the list of projects on that report seems to daunting a task for you to take on, this is your opportunity to opt out of the contract. In some cases the people selling the house will be obliged to make repairs for the buyers. However, the purpose of the home inspection is not to put the sellers over a barrel, it is to make sure you know exactly what you are getting yourself into when moving day comes.