5 Scenarios Where A Home Inspection Is Wise
Inspecting a house is a common part of dealing with it. There are many scenarios where it might be wise to hire a home inspection contractor, but these five are common.
Buying
Anyone considering purchasing a place should ask for independent home inspection services. Even if the seller says they have an inspection report for the house, the worst that happens is you get a second opinion. You don't need to inspect every house you're looking at, but you should have a professional check any houses that make your short list. While it might cost you a little more money now, avoiding a major problem down the road could save you a lot of money.
Selling
Folks on the opposite end of a transaction should also consider professional home inspection help. There is legal liability risk attached to every representation you make about a house. A thorough inspection will allow you to provide documentation of your good-faith efforts to disclose all known issues. If the inspector finds something you don't want to fix, you can always discount the price a bit and just let potential buyers know what they'll be dealing with.
Estate
Executors and administrators have fiduciary duties toward the beneficiaries of an estate. If there is a house involved in the estate, these duties include preserving as much of its value for the beneficiaries as possible. Suppose something happens to the house and you, in the role of the executor, didn't fix it with funds from the estate. The beneficiaries may have grounds to sue for damages. It is best to conduct a home inspection so you can be confident of the condition of any building included in the estate.
Unknown Problems
Making an uneducated guess is far from a desirable approach if you know something is wrong with a house but aren't sure what or where it is. For example, the source of a water leak could be from the pipes, roof, or walls. Asking an inspector to check the entire affected area may be faster and cheaper than taking your best guess at what's wrong and having a contractor look at it.
Getting a Loan or Line of Credit
When you obtain a loan or line of credit, the bank will want to take a look at the condition of the house. If you want to discuss the value of the house on an equal footing, a home inspection report can help. You can compare what the bank says to what your inspector says before deciding whether to accept the bank's assessment.
Contact a local home inspection service to learn more.