What is a home inspection, and why is it important?
What is a home inspection?
A home inspection, provided by a licensed and certified home inspector, is the thorough examination of a home’s mechanical and structural components for the purpose of determining the condition of those components, and to record in a legally recognized same-day report, the current adequacy or insufficiency of those components. A home inspection is a legally recognized inspection which is voluntarily initiated by a home or rental property owner, or by those interested in buying or renting a home or rental property, when a home or rental property is offered for sale or for lease.
A home inspector will thoroughly inspect all the components of a home with the intention of establishing the good condition of the components as well as the flaws, problems, or insufficiencies of the components. A home inspection report will help homeowners, and individuals interested in purchasing a home, in determining the potential safety issues related to a home’s components and the expected lifespan of the current components.
What are some of the benefits of a home inspection report?
A home inspection will produce a valuable report which provides to interested buyers, and rental tenants, a verified document containing certified knowledge of the current condition of a home’s components. The facts stated in the home inspection report about the condition of a home’s components can assist them in making informed decisions when considering purchasing or renting a home. For example, if a home inspection report reveals poorly insulated walls, electrical or plumbing components with insufficiencies, problems, or damage, home buyers can use the documentation of this certified knowledge to guide them in a purchase or rental decision, and sometimes they can use the information to negotiate a different price, or to negotiate for repairs to be completed prior to signing a purchase or lease agreement.
A home inspection will produce a valuable report which provides to interested home sellers, and rental landlords, a verified document containing certified knowledge of the current condition of a home’s components. The facts stated in the home inspection report about the condition of a home’s components can assist them in making informed decisions when considering selling or renting a home. For example, if a home inspection report reveals electrical or plumbing components with insufficiencies, problems, or damage, home sellers can use the documentation of this certified knowledge to guide them in their sale or rental decision, and sometimes they can use the information to substantiate a listed price, or to negotiate for a buyer or renter’s acceptance of the current certified conditions of the home or rental’s components as proof that can protect them against fraudulent claims from a buyer or a renter.
How can a home inspection prevent injuries?
Home inspections can be useful as a tool that helps to prevent potential injuries and accidents. If a home’s decking were undergoing dry rot in a way that it was not visible to the human eye, and an unusually heavy individual walked on the deck, it is possible that the individual could sustain an injury, ranging from a sprained ankle to something more serious, like a fall that ends with a broken bone or a concussion. However, if a home inspection discovered the dry rot, it gives a home owner the opportunity to know about it and get it repaired before someone is potentially exposed to injury due to its presence.
Risks involved in skipping a home inspection
A decision to skip a home inspection may seem a minor preference, but it can sometimes prove to be a detrimental decision. With home deficiencies ranging from undetected mold, asbestos and radon gas, to faulty wiring or structural and foundation problems, skipping a home inspection, on the behalf of a seller or a buyer, can have undesirable consequences. Potential injuries or safety hazards aside, undiscovered home component insufficiencies can hit the pocket book in a major way.
Consider the risks. Water damage is one of the more common problems identified during a home inspection. Water damage can result from leaks in pipes in the plumbing water supply system, from leaks in pipes in the sewer drainage system, a leak in the roof, walls, basement, or foundation, from local flood waters resulting from flooded rivers, or from something as unnoticeable as poor ventilation inside a room. Left long enough, ordinary water damage can develop into mold damage along with the health risks associated with mold.
Electrical wiring damage is another problem that can be identified during a home inspection. Wiring and electrical components damage can result from broken, chafed, melted, or chewed wiring as well as from damaged or outdated electrical power outlets, light switches, or electrical fuse and breaker panels. The presence of wiring damage, or electrical components damage, can result in injury to the body in the form of electrocution, muscle spasms, and cardiac arrest and it can also be a contributing cause to a fire in a home which damages the home and can expose inhabitants of the home to smoke or burn injury.
Home components or structural damage can run the full gamut. Consider the plumbing issues associated with failed pressure valves, leaking pipes, blocked pipes, old, damaged, or collapsed pipes. Think of the foundation and the associated problems that can arise as a result of a cracked or shifted foundation, such as stability of the structure, which can lead to a safety compromise, or buckled studs inside of walls, undue pressure on window and door frames that can lead to difficult opening and closing of doors and windows. Consider an unseen roof leak and the damage it can bring to bear on the surrounding environment of components such as compromised, water-logged insulation in the attic and walls, dry rot in the roof, wall, or floor framing systems, and the disintegration or swelling of drywall. Not to mention, unsightly stains from moisture, mold, and mildew.
With all that can be wrong with a home that can go undetected by the human eye, it makes sense to side step the risks of skipping a home inspection when selling or buying a home, and when leasing or renting a home, condo, duplex, triplex, single family unit, or multi-family unit.
We encourage you, if you are considering buying, renting, selling or leasing a home, to schedule a home inspection with Slopeside Home Inspections. Andrew Tewson is a certified, licensed home inspector who conscientiously inspects homes thoroughly to deliver to you the best value you can get from a home inspection. With the latest tools, techniques, and procedures, Slopeside Home Inspections can provide you with a same-day, digital PDF report so you have the facts in hand, today, when you need them.
Schedule a home inspection with Slopeside Home Inspections today! Don’t wait until it is too late. Help to ensure the safety of your home and your family with a presale, pre-purchase or pre-lease agreement home inspection.