Getting to buy a home for yourself is not a small decision to take on, and most people do that only a few times at most in their lives. When you are going to invest such a significant sum of your hard-earned money into taking possession of a building where you are going to live yourself, it is only logical to make sure everything in that house is in good repair. Starting from the roof, heating, air-conditioning, kitchen and bathroom appliances to the walls, insulation, floors, and doors are dependable and optimum working conditions. After moving into your new home, you don’t want to face a major repair or replacement challenge every few months. That is basically where the concept of a home inspection comes in. This is the only way to make sure that you and the seller are both entirely conscious of any potentially expensive problems in the house and solve those issues before the handover takes place. The buyer has to arrange and pay for this activity unless agreed otherwise.
Home inspection becomes an even higher necessity if you are purchasing an older building because it might contain structural flaws that the seller may conceal through small paint jobs. You need to know what you are getting into before finalizing the deal on a house for sale. Similarly, if the price seems too good to be true and nothing seems off on the cover, you should wait till the inspection report comes in and mentally plan to look at other homes for sale. This is also where your real estate agent can be very helpful as they have a complete set of professional skills to gauge whether a seller is trying to dump a dilapidated home by putting a seemingly low price tag on it or not. Also, good agents can recommend you the best home inspecting professionals in the local market.
Going through this practice of home inspection not only makes you cognizant of the vulnerabilities of the house you are planning to move-in, but it may also force the seller to give discounts on the closing costs or overall price of the property because of the amount that will be spent on repairs. Though inspection is usually scheduled only after you have agreed to the sale and have filled the contract, mortgage lenders and insurance companies require a detailed home inspection report before giving final approvals. If the housing scrutiny leads to the revelation of severe damages, as a buyer, you have the option to either cancel the contract and walk away with your earnest deposit intact or ask the seller to make all those repairs before you move into the property.