What is a Home Inspector, and Why Do You Need One?
Buying a house is not for the faint of heart. It’s a stressful experience that often can resemble an emotional rollercoaster with twists and turns designed – perhaps – to prepare you for life as the future homeowner.
When you finally find the perfect home, you may swiftly start to see yourself entertaining in the outdoor space or preparing family meals in the renovated kitchen. But before you commit those daydreams to reality and, more importantly, your money to the purchase, a healthy reality check is in order.
That’s where a home inspector comes in.
What is a home inspector?
Over all our years working in the industry, it still may surprise you how often we hear that question. Let’s cut to the chase: Home inspectors help you make an informed purchase decision by giving you unbiased information about the state of the property you’re about to purchase.
After all, no one wants to close on a home only to discover after the sale that the pipes need to be replaced or the foundation is rotten.
As home inspectors, our primary job is to visually evaluate the home’s interior and exterior for safety risks and usability problems as well as educate you on routine maintenance you should perform in order to keep the home in good shape.
From an exterior perspective, home inspectors look at things like the exterior walls, foundation, grading, and roofing. On the interior, home inspectors check plumbing, electrical, HVAC, appliances, and nearly every other square foot of the property. And we mean, every. Inspectors tend to climb or crawl into the tiniest spaces of your potential new home – all in the name of ensuring you are properly informed about what it is you’re buying. A home is a large expense – a home inspector may be your best asset when buying a home.
At the close of inspection, home inspectors issue a final report where we identify each problem and note whether it is a safety issue, major or minor defect. You can then
use this information to decide if you are going to proceed with the purchase or use details in the report to possibly further negotiate the sale.
Why do you need a home inspector?
If you’re buying a home in South Florida, home inspectors can save you a lot of money and future headaches. While home inspections can’t uncover every single potential problem with a home, inspectors are able to alert you to possible bigger issues that can’t be seen behind the walls. Importantly, a home inspection may even offer you an “out” in a purchase agreement if it was included as a contingency in your offer.
Buying a home is one of the biggest purchases many of us will make in our lifetime. Before getting swept up in the emotional excitement of the purchase, make sure you get a home inspection. GI Joe Home Inspections has been serving the South Florida area since 2012 and as a Certified Master Inspector, is committed to excellent service and commitment.