James T. Kubeck Home Inspection

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Buying a home is probably the largest single investment you will ever make. A home inspection will let you know the condition of the property before you buy. So you may avoid unpleasant costly repairs afterwards.

Just because the house may have some problems doesn’t mean it isn’t a good investment. The report will help you understand what will be involved in future maintenance, whether you may be able to negotiate with the seller on the price of the home, or getting repairs done before closing. Remember, the choice is always yours.

All homes should be inspected regardless of age.

When we inspect the home we will look at the systems that make up the building such as:

If you are selling a home, you’ll get the highest price in the shortest time, if your home is in top condition. Almost all sales contracts include the condition that the contract is contingent upon completion of a satisfactory inspection. This is known as the inspection contingency. Buyers will insist on a professional home inspection performed by an inspector they will hire. If the buyer’s inspector finds a problem, it can cause the buyer to get cold feet and the deal can often fall through. At best, surprise problems uncovered by the buyer’s inspector will cause delays in closing, and usually you will have to pay for repairs at the last minute, or take a lower price on your home.

It’s better to pay for your own inspection before putting your home on the market. Having a pre-listing inspection done will make the whole sale process easier. Present any items as is and reflected in the purchase price. Otherwise, you can count on the buyer’s inspector finding them, at the worst possible time, causing delays, and costing you more money.

One of the key benefits of having the inspection done early is that if there are any problems discovered that need to be repaired, you can have the repairs done on your own terms, on your own schedule. When a problem isn’t found until the buyer has an inspection performed, the deal you’ve worked so hard to get done may fall apart unless you act quickly to get the repairs done. Or you may have to take a lower price, in order to keep the deal moving. In either case, you’ll almost certainly have more headaches, and spend more money, than if you had known about the problem and had it repaired before negotiations began. You could save thousands by simply being able to shop around and get competitive bids from contractors, rather than being forced into paying for a rush job at the last minute. Another area where you can save money is in having flexibility to choose the materials used in repairs. Sales contracts usually specify repairs must be made using materials of comparable quality. By identifying needed repairs early, you’ll have the option to save money by using less expensive materials for the repairs.

You can also benefit from simply offering certain items as is. Often, you can negotiate with a buyer to accept items in the current condition by stipulating that they are reflected in the purchase price. But that same buyer may walk away from the deal if the conditions come as a surprise, after an offer has already been made. If the home is inspected before the house goes on the market you will be aware of the condition of the house before an offer is made. There won’t be any surprises and the deal is far less likely to fall apart. It takes a lot of effort to get a sales agreement signed in the first place. If the inspection turns up problems, the buyer will want to negotiate a new deal and that second sales agreement is usually even harder to get done than the first one.

By having a pre-listing inspection done, you can identify problems early. Then either correct them or present them as is, assuring that the first offer you accept can move quickly and smoothly to closing without delays or costly surprises.

The home inspector will inspect pool or spa drowning prevention features, for the sole purpose of indentifying which, if any, are present.

The home inspector will inspect the fencing and other barrier components which restrict access to pool/spa.

The home inspector will inspect pumps and pump motors, readily accessible associated piping systems, filtration systems, skimmers and drains.

The home inspector will inspect pool/spa electrical panels, disconnects, switches, outlets, pool/spa lighting and operate GFCI test buttons.

The home inspector will inspect the heating equipment, fuel gas piping, combustion air and venting exhaust systems.

A home maintenance inspection is just like the inspection you get before you buy a home, except that you do it with no intention of selling the home. The Home inspector checks out all the main systems of your home roof, walls, foundation, HVAC, electrical, plumbing—and flags anything that might be starting to malfunction.

You might not even notice a problem. But sometimes, a good inspector can see the little signs that something is starting to go like small cracks, uneven wearing, or even just appliances such as water heaters reaching the eventual end of their lives. They can also remind you of the regular maintenance you should be doing on your house.

Like an annual physical, a maintenance inspection can catch issues early and give you the peace of mind of a clean bill of health.

It’s a way to keep little problems from turning into big problems.

Just like at a pre-purchase inspection, the home inspector will walk you through the home, showing you what was found and explaining what it means. You should have a chance to ask questions or get clarifications, the inspector will point out things you should be doing regularly to keep all of your home’s systems functioning in tiptop shape.

Then, later that day you’ll get a written report with pictures detailing everything the inspector found. Only in this case, instead of asking the seller to fix or pay for the things on your list, you’re the one in charge of tackling the to-do list. Think of it as an itemized punch list to address whenever you choose.

Every three to five years, you should have a home inspector come out and do a maintenance inspection. Like changing your furnace filter, you should do it before it gets so bad that it becomes a problem.

Another advantage of a home maintenance inspection is that the inspector provides an unbiased opinion. You’ll want the person inspecting your home to not have any skin in the game, especially if the pro is evaluating things that are expensive to repair like your roof or foundation.

If you do suspect something is in disrepair, it’s wise to call in a home maintenance inspector before a repair company. A home inspector isn’t trying to sell you anything and isn’t going to make any money off doing the repairs. It’s exactly the same process as before a sale, only with a slightly different purpose, so the cost will also be the same.