Tips for Your Home Inspection
Most buyers’ worst nightmare is to purchase a home in Grand Junction only to discover latent defects that cost so much to repair that they lose their investment. These tips will help you prevent that from happening!
Buyers have the responsibility to perform their own due diligence to investigate the condition of the home. This means that it is incumbent upon buyers to hire inspection professionals with the knowledge and experience to identify the major problems during the inspection process. In order to protect their future investment, here are some tips that every buyer and seller should know.
Seller’s Property Disclosure
The document called the Seller’s Property Disclosure is one of the best sources of information for a buyer to understand the condition of a home.
First, determine whether the seller is the first person who has ever lived in the home. If the seller purchased the home in Grand Junction from someone else, ask the seller whether they have a copy of the property disclosure provided to them before they purchased the property. This can provide substantially more information regarding the history of a home.
Next, the Seller’s Property Disclosure specifically requests the seller to identify both past and present conditions related to the structural integrity and the roof of the home. Many buyers mistakenly overlook the fact that the disclosure encompasses previous problems that were identified and repaired by the seller. Buyers should have a right to learn what problems were encountered and to investigate the adequacy of the repair. Buyers should ask the seller whether they included past issues on the disclosure that were repaired and if so, inquire how the seller resolved the problem.
Finally, buyers can provide their inspector with a copy of the Seller’s Property DIsclosure before the inspection so the inspector can be on the lookout for those specific past issues and repairs listed in the Seller’s Property Disclosure.
Hiring Inspectors
Buyers should do research to ensure that they hire the right inspection professionals for the home in question.
Most quality home inspectors will be direct about exactly what services they can offer and more importantly, what areas are outside of their expertise. Especially when inspecting older homes, buyers should inquire whether their general home inspector has the knowledge to perform all areas of the inspection including the exterior facade, windows, roofs, foundation, sewer and utilities and mechanical equipment.
Most inspectors are generalists and can check on the general condition of the home. But, if there is a known issue with a specific part of the home, buyers will want to hire a specialist to take a detailed look.
Ask Questions
Sometimes buyers fall in love with a home in Grand Junction and overlook warning signs of problems. Buyers can protect their investment by asking important questions about the history of the home. Buyers may want to ask the seller about the maintenance, repair and replacement history on the home.
For example, has the roof been inspected, repaired or replaced? When was the mechanical equipment last serviced or replaced? Are there any existing warranties on the home that might transfer to the buyer? When was the last time the house was painted or windows sealed? Has the seller ever made any insurance claims?
I hope you find these tips helpful for when it comes time to order and conduct your home inspection! If you have any questions about your Grand Junction home inspection, please feel free to reach out to me!
Information sourced from: www.LTGC.com.
