Buying your first home can be an overwhelmingly emotional decision. 

You may be excited to finally have a place to call your home. But, at the same time, you might be nervous looking at your savings. 

Of course, buying a home is not an overnight task. It could take months before you land the house of your dreams. And, even after your offer has been accepted you might have to wait for weeks before you can take possession. 

While you are waiting for your possession, there are a lot of tasks that go in between. And one of the many tasks is getting a home inspection.

 

What does Home Inspection mean?

As you may have already guessed, a home inspection is a thorough examination of the property for any potential issues. 

Typically, the process is conducted by a licensed professional called inspector. 

As the Rocket Valley home inspector explains, the inspection is followed by a full status report about the property. 

Homebuyers can use this report to renegotiate or even walk away from the deal if necessary.

 

Why do you need a Home Inspection?

Generally speaking, renegotiations do not usually occur. To your surprise, a home inspection may not reveal anything that you may not already know. 

However, in case the home inspection reveals any fault or potential issue on the property, you can communicate it to the seller. You may either ask for a potential fix from the seller. Or, otherwise, you may ask the seller to give you a waiver on the selling price of the property. 

The waiver would, notably, be equal to the cost of repair/replacement of the issues on the property. 

Indeed, it is absolutely critical to get a home inspection done before taking the final possession.

 

What to expect during a Home Inspection?

As already mentioned, a home inspection would involve a thorough examination of the property. However, this statement may seem too vague, as it does not specify what examinations are in the picture. 

Nonetheless, here is a checklist of typical home inspection tasks.

 

Foundation

The first thing that an inspector would look into is the foundation of the property. 

They'll look for any signs of water or aging damages to the foundation to evaluate if it may pose any problems in the years to come.

 

Structure

The next thing that an inspector would look for is its structural integrity. 

Note that, structural integrity is determined by several factors including the condition of walls and ceiling. The inspector would also look for potential pests and other infestations on the property.

 

Exterior

Done with the foundation and structure, the inspector would then start examining the exteriors of the property. 

For instance, the landscape around the home, the condition of the outer walls, and more. If the property has an external seating area such as a patio or a swimming pool, it would also be thoroughly examined.

 

Interior

Typically, the interiors of the house are staged at the time of your visits. It means, the potential issues in the house may be intentionally covered to give an ulterior experience. 

The inspector would examine floor conditions, appliances in the kitchen, insulation conditions, and so on. Windows and doorways will also be checked during this stage.

 

Plumbing/HVAC

Most homes would be sold with a pre-fixed HVAC unit and plumbing fixtures. 

The home inspection would cover any leakages or damages to both these systems. If any issue is found, you may tell the seller to get it fixed before you take possession.

 

Electrical

Lastly, the home inspection would also examine the electrical systems in the house. 

Electrical systems would include proper load wiring, insulations, power rating, and installation of the proper safety mechanisms in case of a power fault.