How To Perform A Home Inspection As A First Time Homebuyer
Contracting a professional home inspector before buying a home is a good way to ensure that you will not encounter any major problems after you've signed a contract and bought a house.
The problem is official home inspections are only required after the signing of an initial contract. It would therefore be wise on your part to know all about the house you are considering buying from the seller himself/herself. You can even ask the seller to allow you to conduct an informal inspection of the property yourself just to check the general condition of the house.
Sellers typically allow prospective buyers to inspect their home before anyone enters into any agreement. Barron's 'Smart Consumer's Guide to Home Buying' advises homebuyers to use a checklist in taking note of any problems and issues in the earliest time possible. The book further explains, "If you are thinking about buying a house that will need renovation or upgrading, the more value will be derived from your mini-inspection." The mini-inspection will ultimately give you a bargaining leverage when negotiating for the price of the home you are buying.
Consider creating a checklist for a home inspection report so you can do a walk-through of the home and take notes about the appearance and overall condition of the home. Here are some essential areas to cover:
The age of the house - You should know exactly when the house was built. Find out if there are any renovations or upgrades done and when these took place. Ask if blueprints, architect or engineer plans are available.
Examine the foundation of the house - Look for huge cracks or signs of water problems around the house and in the basement. Ask the seller about any flooding issues or other problems related to weather that the house experienced (or experiences) in different seasons.
Examine the interior of the house - Keep an eye for any defects and other potential sources of problems in the interior of the house. Specifically, you need to check if all walls are even with no cracks and if all doors are easily opened and closed. Take a picture of any visible crack, if possible. Check if there are any molds, foul odors and if all water drainages and faucets are working properly.
Check the exterior for defects and potential problems - do all of the windows and doors have adequate insulation? Do they open and close fluidly? Make sure all of the siding, windows and doors are free of cracks and any noticeable wear and tear.
Examine the heating and air conditioning system - Query the seller about the average cost of operating these systems in a month. You may need to have a new system in place if the old air conditioning system is already inefficient.
Take all the information you gathered and create a written inspection report. You may also use a digital camera or camcorder to take pictures or video clips that you can review later. Video clips and pictures will allow you to document your inspection in more detail. These visual documents may also give you additional negotiation leverage. - 23159
The problem is official home inspections are only required after the signing of an initial contract. It would therefore be wise on your part to know all about the house you are considering buying from the seller himself/herself. You can even ask the seller to allow you to conduct an informal inspection of the property yourself just to check the general condition of the house.
Sellers typically allow prospective buyers to inspect their home before anyone enters into any agreement. Barron's 'Smart Consumer's Guide to Home Buying' advises homebuyers to use a checklist in taking note of any problems and issues in the earliest time possible. The book further explains, "If you are thinking about buying a house that will need renovation or upgrading, the more value will be derived from your mini-inspection." The mini-inspection will ultimately give you a bargaining leverage when negotiating for the price of the home you are buying.
Consider creating a checklist for a home inspection report so you can do a walk-through of the home and take notes about the appearance and overall condition of the home. Here are some essential areas to cover:
The age of the house - You should know exactly when the house was built. Find out if there are any renovations or upgrades done and when these took place. Ask if blueprints, architect or engineer plans are available.
Examine the foundation of the house - Look for huge cracks or signs of water problems around the house and in the basement. Ask the seller about any flooding issues or other problems related to weather that the house experienced (or experiences) in different seasons.
Examine the interior of the house - Keep an eye for any defects and other potential sources of problems in the interior of the house. Specifically, you need to check if all walls are even with no cracks and if all doors are easily opened and closed. Take a picture of any visible crack, if possible. Check if there are any molds, foul odors and if all water drainages and faucets are working properly.
Check the exterior for defects and potential problems - do all of the windows and doors have adequate insulation? Do they open and close fluidly? Make sure all of the siding, windows and doors are free of cracks and any noticeable wear and tear.
Examine the heating and air conditioning system - Query the seller about the average cost of operating these systems in a month. You may need to have a new system in place if the old air conditioning system is already inefficient.
Take all the information you gathered and create a written inspection report. You may also use a digital camera or camcorder to take pictures or video clips that you can review later. Video clips and pictures will allow you to document your inspection in more detail. These visual documents may also give you additional negotiation leverage. - 23159
About the Author:
Alexandria P. Anderson is a licensed Minnesota Realtor that uses the Minneapolis real estate search to help her clients to find and purchase Minneapolis MN Homes and other Twin Cities properties.
posted by X - Men @ 8:31 AM
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