The Scoop on Inscpections
The Scoop on Inspections
If you are selling your home, I recommend getting inspections before hitting the market. By having inspections first, you can make repairs you may not have known you needed to make. By providing potential buyers inspections, and a list of any repairs made, they can make an offer on your home understanding of the current condition. This reduces additional negotiations after you accept an offer. When few or no inspections are provided to an interested buyer, they will hire inspectors to investigate the condition during the inspection contingency period. The inspection contingency period typically lasts between 1 to two weeks, and this is when they buyer can hire multiple different inspectors to identify needed repairs and provide estimates which they will then likely use to negotiate a lower price, credits and/or repairs.
Not all buyers and sellers will need to get every inspection possible, it will be up to the individual and depend on a variety of factors, often unique to each property. The most encouraged inspection to obtain first is a home inspection by a licensed and insured home inspector. A home inspection does not provide estimates to repair or replace any observed issues, but it will give the reader a comprehensive understanding of what needs attention and if any additional inspections are recommended.
In addition to a home inspection, a termite inspection is also essential. A termite inspection can identify the extent to which any wood destroying organisms have damaged the home, if at all. Wood destroying organisms identified in a termite report are often dry rot, termites, fungus and beetles. For some loans, including FHA, a buyer may need to provide their lender with Section 1 clearance from a termite inspection company. In order to widen the number of prospective buyers, I often recommend sellers get a termite inspection and have any needed repairs completed to obtain Section 1 clearance before putting the home on the market.
A sewer-line inspections is also considered essential, unless the home has been built in the past 20 years or the sewer-line was recently replaced. Older homes, like those found in much of the Sacramento Region, often have old sewer-lines that could be either rotting and or have tree roots infiltrating the line that need to be remedied. A sewer line inspection involves an inspector putting a camera down the line and observing any obstructions or deterioration. Since the cost to replace part or all of a sewer-line can be in the thousands, I almost always recommend a buyer have one before removing their inspection contingency. For whatever reason, not all buyers are getting sewer-line inspections on my past listings and so for my seller clients, I may or may not recommend one as a pre-listing inspection, depending on the age and location of your home.
Additional inspections typically preformed in the Sacramento Region include the following:
HVAC (Heating and Air Conditioning)
Roof
Rodent
Mold
Electrical
Chimney
I do not recommend each client get all the above-mentioned inspections before buying or selling. I will help my clients to understand their options so they can ultimately decide.
Are all inspections expected to be equal? No, they are not. I have witnessed inspections with an estimate to repair or replace the same items, on the same house, and yet have different prices to complete the same work. Like with anything involving work on a home, it doesn’t hurt to get a second or third opinion when it comes to doing the work. Should you need any recommendations, I have a relationship with several companies and contractors who provide competitive prices and complete their work in a timely and professional manner.
Here are a few home inspectors I have worked with:
Matt Gray with SacPro Home Inspections
Golden State Inspections
https://www.goldenstatehomeinspections.com/
Michael Gill with Mr. Inspector