As 2021 rolls around, homeowners and those desiring to soon become such may well be making a list of new year’s resolutions. One resolution that would be good for your home and could save you money is to decide to have a professional home inspection done.
There are many benefits of home inspections and many different kinds of home inspections to consider. And there are several different types of people who may be interested in ordering such an inspection.
Below, we will answer the three questions:
- Who should order a home inspection?
- What are the benefits of home inspections?
- What are the main types of home inspection?
Who Should Order a Professional Home Inspection?
There are several major situations in which a person is likely to need and order a pro home inspection for a home they currently own or soon may own.
1. A prospective home buyer. Very, very commonly, those preparing to buy a new home will first make an offer and put down earnest money. Then, they will exercise their right to conduct a professional 4 point inspection or other home inspection on the property they are interested in.
If major problems are discovered during the inspection, the would-be buyer can walk away from the contract (legally) or renegotiate on the basis of the inspection results. This may get you out of a bad deal or help you make a better deal.
2. The home seller. When the seller decides to have an inspection it’s called a “pre-listing inspection.”
This is often done so the seller can discover any problems he or she doesn’t already know about and can correct them before listing the home – to sell it faster, get a higher price, and avoid any problems after the buyer orders his/her own inspection later on.
3. An insurer-ordered inspection. There are a couple of reasons why a homeowners insurance company will order or require at least a 4 point inspection to be done on a home.
First, the insurer wants to avoid the possibility of future claims based on undiscovered problems. Second, they want information about the home that will allow them to accurately estimate what it would cost to repair any future damage done to the home.
4. The current homeowner. Finally, even if you are the current homeowner and do not plan to sell your home anytime soon, you may still want to have a professional home inspection done.
For example, you might want to try to lower your home insurance premiums by detecting and fixing any issues, find ways to make your home a safer place to live, or get a new insurance quote following major home renovations.
4 Key Benefits of Home Inspections
There are a number of general benefits applicable to all home inspections, including these four:
1. You get increased knowledge about the actual condition of your home or what may soon become your new home. Knowledge is power. Knowledge is foundational to many key decisions you need to make in regard to buying, selling, or managing real estate.
2. The report you receive will be an unbiased, professional opinion. The buyer may tend to lean one way and the seller another, but the home inspector is not there to “take sides.” That in itself is an important point when it comes to finalizing a home sale/purchase.
3. Hidden costs of buying a home, like later maintenance expenses, can be revealed. This can give a buyer leverage to renegotiate the selling price or the right to walk away from the deal.
4. You need a home inspection at some point in order to get a homeowners insurance policy and a mortgage loan. Plus, the inspection may help you get a lower premium.
Here Are the Main Types of Home Inspections
Once you realize you definitely want a home inspection, the next step is to determine which type or types you should order. Here are the major types typically ordered in today’s real estate market:
- Comprehensive home inspection. This is just like it sounds – a full inspection of practically every detail of the home that matters.
- The 4 point home inspection. This is by far the most common type of home inspection used. It looks at the building’s four major systems: roofing, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical.
- A wind mitigation inspection. This inspection focuses on just those aspects of a home’s condition and build that affect how it will stand up against extremely windy weather. There is the possibility of earning wind mitigation credits that will lower your home insurance rate.
- WDO inspections. WDO (wood-destroying organisms) home inspections look for signs of current or past infestations with termites, wood-eating beetles, and other undesirable critters.
- An infrared inspection. Finally, infrared technology can be used to “look” behind walls, ceilings, and other areas that are inaccessible to an “ordinary” inspection. This may reveal insulation, ventilation, or water damage problems you wouldn’t otherwise know about.
There are many good reasons for a wide range of people to be interested in having a home inspection done in 2021. There are many key benefits to be gained from a home inspection regardless of which type(s) you choose.
To learn more about how modern pro home inspections work or to schedule an inspection without delay, contact Super Inspection Pros today for a free consultation and free quote.
