Done Right Home Inspections. Certified Professional Home Inspector

The very basic questions

Q. When should I have an inspection?

A. After an offer has been accepted and a deposit is made on a property, a customer generally has a period of five to fifteen business days to have an inspection compete.

Q. Who arranges for the inspection?

A. The home buyer or seller should contact us to schedule the inspection.

Q. How long does the inspection take?

A. In most cases, the process takes about 3-4 hours, depending on the size and complexity of the home or structure, whether its a condo, townhouse, freehold etc and the homes systems.

Q. How much does an inspection cost?

A. Our inspection fees are clearly posted and are based upon a few factors such as: size, type of dwelling, building, or structure being inspected.
Please see sidebar for fees.

Beyond just basics

  I take extra time for first time home buyers. If you have any questions not addressed as we work our way through the home I will take all the time you need during our summary to address them and extra time to go over the basics as well. 
 
  I know buying a home can be stressful. And while having a home inspection done is supposed to give you peace of mind, anticipation of the inspection may be having the opposite effect. You know there is a lot of information to take in over a short time.You know there will be written reports, photographs, and what the inspector says during the inspection. Combined with the seller's disclosure and what you notice yourself, well, it all can seem overwhelming.

  Take a deep breath and relax.

  During the home inspection itself we will largely be dealing with maintenance recommendations, and minor imperfections. As we proceed through the home I will make mention of these largely because they are nice to know about. Although these items will not normally be noted in the report, be assured I will photograph these items and if requested they will be posted to web site or I can burn them to a separate cd ( no extra charge) so you don't have to try and remember everything, that is what the report, the website, and the camera are for.

  The advantage of having the report on line is of course you can easily access it when you are a little more settled, no loosing a printed paper report in a stack of paperwork you continually have to search through. You can then work away at the little maintenance items without worrying about missing any.

  Rather than serious defects most often we will encounter things that lead to major defects. Items like missing chimney flashing, old caulking around windows etc, safety hazards, like exposed abandoned live wiring. Anything in these categories will be reported on and should be addressed, but is not necessarily an expensive fix. In fact reporting these items serves to prevent them from becoming an expensive repair. Thus; problems can often be corrected inexpensively to protect life and property.

  On occasion during an inspection something that is important might come up. Something considered a major defect. As an example; rotted joists and beam ends in a crawl space, or things that may hinder financing, legally occupying, or insuring a home like insulbrick siding. They are concerns, but, need not be deal killers if you really want that house. In my experience almost everything can be dealt with if both parties are willing.

  Sellers themselves are often surprised to learn of defects uncovered during an inspection. As a buyer you must realize that sellers are not obliged to repair things in the report, although after discussion they may agree to repairs, a change in price, or they may indicate the deficiencies are reflected in the price already.

  Keep things in perspective and recognize that no home is perfect.
 

My summary and our discussion at the end of the inspection should help keep things in perspective. You will know what the issues are, how serious they are and you will have my recommendations as to service, investigate further, repair, or replace.(I don't often recommend further investigation. When I do it usually involves questionable heating or electrical)  Do not kill your deal over things that are minor repairs or things that don't really affect the major systems of the home.

  It is also inappropriate to demand that a seller address deferred maintenance, conditions already listed on the seller's disclosure or nit-picky items.

  Every Home Inspection takes on average 2 1/2 to 4 hours depending on the size of the home and is conducted according to the Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics of the American and Canadian Associations of home inspectors, and 
InterNACHI the International  Association of Certified Home Inspectors of which I am a member.
 

 
  The Standards of Practice include certain limitations that must be clearly determined in the inspector's contract. Please see Authorizations and contracts

  During completion of the on-site inspection, I will give my Clients a verbal summary of the report and at that time I will answer any questions and discuss concerns.

  Then my clients will receive a comprehensive computer generated report, complimented with digital pictures of the deficiencies that have been discovered they can access on line.

  A report copy can be mailed directly to the Client or a hard copy can be mailed out to the Clients representative at their request. Each system or component, including the method that was used for its evaluation, is described in detail, along with the inspector's recommendations.