| Real Estate Inspection |
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| Real Estate Tips - Real Estate Tips |
| Tuesday, 29 September 2009 16:47 |
 Real Estate Inspection This step pertains mainly to houses, townhouses, condominiums, and cottages. In some states, real estate inspections are accomplished before the final purchase contract is signed. In other states, inspections take place after an offer is finalized. No matter when you do them, this is a critical step to more comprehensively know what status your property is in. You’ve made the offer or the offer has been accepted, now you must confer with your real estate agent or other advisors to find out when inspections should be handled and if additional types of testing are important for your specific area. It is usually the seller’s responsibility to conduct this home inspection, and to carry out and fund any possible work orders that result from a less than satisfactory inspection. You should not close the deal until all home inspection has been completed. More detailed information can be found in “Property and Home Inspection”. Every home inspection should include a checkup of the following: · Foundations · Roof · Heating and air conditioning systems · Ventilation · Common areas (for condominiums) · Septic tanks, wells or sewer lines* · Insulation · Plumbing and electrical systems · Ceiling, walls and floors · Doors · Hazardous materials concerns Tip No. 1: Don't trust an inspector simply because he or she has a state license or certification. All states that issue licenses require training, "but the training may be so minimal that it is ineffective," Turner says. So now what? Well, move on to Lesson No. 2. Tip No. 2: Look for an inspector who is associated with a professional inspection organization. This can help weed out the truly fly-by-night inspectors, but it won't catch all the bad actors. There is an alphabet soup of such groups, with wildly varying criteria for membership. In one, "you can send them a $60 check and you'll be a member," says Mike Kuhn, a New Jersey home inspector and co-author of "The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Home Inspections." Look for affiliation with groups such as NAHI, the National Institute of Building Inspectors, and the American Society of Home Inspectors. These are some of the most reputable inspector associations, and their Web sites have a "find an inspector" service to locate a member in your area. You can also study several home inspection organizations' criteria for membership: how many homes a would-be member must have inspected; how much — if any — continuing education is required; whether an exam is required for admission, etc. Each is a little different. Inspectors who are fully certified by ASHI, the nation's oldest such group, with 5,700 members, are required to have completed at least 250 paid professional home inspections and passed two written exams, for example. Professional Services Find local plumbers, electrician, contractors and more. Tip No. 3: Don't just take your agent's recommendation at face value. Real-estate agents often recommend inspectors to home buyers. But that arrangement doesn't necessarily serve the home buyer well, since both agent and inspector have a financial incentive for things to go well: for the agent, a commission, and for the inspector, the possibility of repeat business from the agent. "Every single day we walk a razor's edge with that conflict of interest," Turner acknowledges. He adds, though, that "the good Realtors are going to recommend an inspector who's not going to be afraid of what he calls out." Still, experts suggest some ways to make sure your interests are served: |
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Bobby Berousek
