As simple as a ‘Home Inspection’ may seem, over the years -I have experienced a great number of buyers that just don’t understand the importance in conducting a ‘Home Inspection’ on the home they are about to spend a bunch a money to buy.
We have all seen those clever car fax commercials that advise those who are shopping to buy a car. Obviously, the report is to make sure you know what you’re buying when you sign on the dotted line. Well, getting a home inspection is similar to getting a car fax report as it assists you in getting as much information about your new home –BEFORE you get to the closing.
After all, it probably took you quite some time to find this home and make the decision to move forward with the purchase. Getting to know more about the home at this stage and what you can expect is very important in the closing process. To begin with, you need to know if there are any repairs that need to be made that cannot be seen with the naked eye. The timing of this inspection is imperative to a successful closing. As you receive the inspection report, it will detail any issues with the home -but it now becomes a ‘task’ to establish what you are willing to live with and what items your seller needs to take care of prior to continuing with the purchase. These items may be small repairs that can be taken care of before the closing or they may be things that the seller may not correct and you may need to plan on completing them later –after you own the home. With all things considered, if it is something major to repair –maybe you would like to re-think your purchase. Considering that the ‘Inspection Period’ is usually only within the first 10-15 days after you sign the contract, this would be the time to make that decision once you know all the variables you are dealing with.
As far as who to perform the inspection, please consult a professional with the proper training, certifications, and endorsements. Believe it or not, there is more that goes into inspecting a home than you can imagine. In fact, a properly performed home inspection on a standard 3/2 home in the Jacksonville area will normally take up to 4 hours. All of these options and/or questions that involve buying a home can be overwhelming but that is why Reel Keeper Realty is here to help. If you are looking to buy a home and want to make sure you know all the steps including when you need an inspection and from who –please feel free to contact our office.
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