Home Inspections
When I purchased my home in the mid-1990's, my offer was conditional on completion of a satisfactory home inspection. Both real estate agents in the deal, as well as the vendor, had not previously heard of this being done. At that time, the concept of having a home inspected was relatively new. When you buy a car, you usually have it checked out by a mechanic (especially since a safety check is required for the car to be driven), but a house was always bought "as is" Since that time, home inspections have become a lot more common, and should be considered as a condition of any offer.
Why have a home inspection?
A house consists of several different systems-- heating and cooling, plumbing, and electrical. And then there are the structural elements, such as the foundation, roof and windows. Purchasing a house is usually an emotional decision. We find ourselves attracted by the curb appeal, or by a huge kitchen, or by a family room that is perfect for the entertainment center. We picture where we can place our furniture, or what colours we can can paint the walls. We don't think much about the underlying systems.
What does a home inspector do?
The home inspector will spend a couple of hours examining the house from roof to foundation. He will check the furnace and air conditioning, the plumbing, the electrical wiring that is visible at the service, the electrical outlets. He will look for tell-tale signs of leaks and other structural problems. He will then submit a report to you detailing his findings. A home inspector's report will be unbiased. He should be completely objective regardless of who is paying.
Of what use is the inspection report?
An inspection report can provide leverage when negotiating the sale price. It is also an effective "to do" list once you move into your new abode. And, in some cases, it can be the voice of reason that tells you to run and don't look back.
What should I keep in mind if I am buying?
No house is perfect. Every house is going to have some problems. You need to accept that there are some problems that you just have to live with. Exercise your right to accompany the inspector and see the house first-hand. Use the opportunity to look at everything closely. Inspectors are only human, and you may pick up on a detail or two that might otherwise be missed. Be wary of hiring a home inspector who is recommended by either the purchasing or selling real estate agent, as both have a vested interest in a positive inspection report. Ask for references. Check with the Better Business Bureau. There are enough inspectors out there now that you can afford to be selective. Don't just throw a dart at the yellow pages like I did. Keep the inspection report with your real estate papers. Make notes of which improvements you have made. This will be very helpful when it comes time to sell the house.
What should I keep in mind if I am selling?
No house is perfect. An home inspection is likely to uncover problems you either didn't know about or that you forgot about, or learned to live with. A home inspection provides the potential buyer with a powerful escape clause. It is for this reason that, if there is no previous report, you should consider having the house inspected yourself, so you can determine any glitches that may prevent a smooth sale before you put the house on the market. The buyer will probably still want his own inspection, though.
My own experiences:
As with any other business, there are competent people and incompetent people. My biggest mistake was not accompanying the inspector when he looked at my first house (my schedule was in conflict with the vendor's schedule). Hindsight being 20 /20, taking a day off work could have saved me thousands of dollars, because the inspector missed several things that I may have noticed.
- Electrical wires from the service passed through the cold air return. The cold air return had a hole cut into it , and the mass of wires passed through against the jagged metal edges. To see this mess, suspended ceiling panels would have had to be removed.
- The refrigerator in the kitchen was on an extension cord that was plugged into the same outlet as the washing machine in the basement. The extension cord passed through the floor, and the plug was located in a cabinet. While the inspector cannot be expected to move appliances, he should have noticed the extension cord in the basement and questioned its origin.
- Ther were visible signs of moisture around the windows in the basement. Some of the windows did not close properly. The inspector noticed only the cracked glass of one window.
- There was a "dummy" switch in one of the walls that was not wired. When I removed the switch at a later date, I found that the wires behind it were live, and were configured for a plug, not a switch. A switch in such a prominent location should have at least been noted.
- The inspector also noted that there were no smoke detectors. There were.
Even if I did not pick up on the inspector's errors, I would have at least had an opportunity to examine the house more closely, which would have affected my final offer.
Older and wiser with enough experience behind me to recognize most issues surrounding houses, I chose not to have a formal inspection done on our second house. Instead, I shuffled a few bucks to a former home inspector with construction experience to examine the structure of the house. I figured that I had enough electrical experience to deal with any problems in that area, and I knew a reliable plumber should any problems arise with the plumbing. Basically, I knew going into the purchase of this house that there were a number of problems I needed to address. I was more interested in a professional opinion as to whether or not this house was a smart purchase. Again, there were certain problems that were not recognized at the time of the inspection.
- Insulation was installed directly against the roof, instead of allowing for ventilation. However, I only learned of this issue when I tore down some drywall. There was no apparent access to the side attics so there is no guarantee that this would have been discovered by a proper inspection.
- The previous owner made changes to the structure Unfortunately, the fact that these changes were done improperly only became apparent when some drywall was removed. Again, it is not likely a problem that an inspector would have found.
- The electrical was horrendous. Wiring that we could see was a mess, but I was confident I could sort it out. Problems with overloaded circuits came to light after we were in the house for a while and started tracing circuits. Would an inspector have discovered the overloads? It's hard to say....but I doubt any home inspector would spend the time required to trace every fixture back to the breaker panel.
A final word:
No home inspector can be expected to find every problem. You cannot know exactly how something is built unless you take it apart. Drywall or plaster covers insulation and most of the electrical wiring in a house. A wet basement will appear high and dry in the dead of winter when everything is frozen, or in the middle of a drought in the summer. But a home inspector does examine a house systematically, through clinical eyes that are not biased by emotion. And let's face it; buying a home is a very emotional decision. A home inspection, if nothing else, will provide balance. And a means of escape.