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A property’s current condition is important to homebuyers looking to purchase a new house. Unfortunately, sometimes, with all the other concerns you have in buying a new home, the home inspection process can end up at the bottom of the list.

It shouldn’t. A home inspection is perhaps the most important part of your home purchasing decisions. An inspection could be the most important dollars you spend during this process.

You’ve found your dream home. Thats Great! But don’t let your emotions take over because you love the house so much and you don’t want anything to get in the way of the final purchase. Neither should you worry about how much an inspection may cost, when you have so many other costs to consider. Shouldn’t you know what lurks in the AC system? What is going on with the interior plumbing and the electrical? Does the house need repairs to the foundation? How about the roof?

For most people, their home will probably be their largest single investment. Are you willing to gamble a 15-or 30-year mortgage on a home which may have known defects? This applies to both existing homes and new construction homes.
By following these pointers, you can maximize your home inspection benefits:

• Know what an inspection includes. Inspections constitute a complete “visual” inspection of the structural and mechanical components of your new or previously owned home. Such components include the Heating and AC System, Interior Plumbing, Foundations, Roofing, Electrical, and more. Depending on the expertise of the inspector, it may also include specialty inspections such as pools and spas, termites, mold/air quality testing, etc.
• Know what it does not include. Inspections do not include decorative flaws such as cracked floor tiles or chipped paint. An inspection will only cover structural and mechanical defects. They also do not make an evaluation on the “value” of a property. Only an appraisal will set a price on property value, usually ordered by the mortgage company when approving a loan.
• Consider a “listing” inspection before you put a home on the market. This can avoid unpleasant surprises down the road when potential buyers have your listing inspected by their own professional. If potential problems are detected, they can be a “deal killer”. Most items detected are easily repaired and will enable you to receive a “clean report” when your potential buyer.
• Include a home inspection contingency in purchase agreements. This is important. If an inspector finds a major defect that you don’t want to deal with, you’ll want the option of getting out of the contract. Remember that all houses have defects. Don’t stress if some are found. Asking the seller to make the repairs, or negotiating the appropriate amount off the purchase price is standard. If major defects are found, you have information to better guide your negotiations.
• Be present for the full inspection. Spending a few hours with the inspector could help your home buyer understand the condition of the property. As SafeHouse examines the various systems and components of the home, ask us to explain what you want to know about our findings or the contents found in our report.
• Learn how things work and how to maintain systems and equipment during the inspection process. SafeHouse Inspectors may also point out little flaws or oddities that don’t measure up to being mentioned in the report, but may warrant watching.
• In the case of new home construction, consider a three-phase inspection: A) after framing, plumbing and electrical, but before the sheet rock is installed, B) just before the walk through and closing, and C) after one year from your purchase during your warrantee period. Don’t let the homebuilder talk you out of it. Some builders may tell you it is a waste of money; others may claim the home has already been inspected. That is unlikely! If anything, the house has only been inspected for “municipal code” which is entirely different.
• Hire a qualified inspector, with many years of experience. Unlike many other states, in Texas, we have stringent rules and ethical standards set by the Texas Real Estate Commission. However, being licensed doesn’t automatically make someone a good inspector, even in Texas. Make certain the inspector you hire has the expertise and knowledge to do a quality inspection.  To know how many years a person has been a TREC Inspector, look at their license number. A lower number means they have been inspecting for a while. High inspection numbers mean they are newbies. SafeHouse Inspection has been doing inspections since 1991 and is considered one of the oldest and most experienced inspection companies in Houston Texas. We meet and “exceed” the standards of practice set by TREC.
• Be cautious about hiring someone who may have a conflict of interest or may not be completely impartial. Beware of the inspector that offers repair work. In the State of Texas no inspector is allowed to do repairs to a property they have inspected. Foundation Inspectors don’t make money if they don’t sell you foundation repairs. Ditto, for Roofing Inspectors. SafeHouse Inspections are completely impartial and accurate.
• There is no such thing as “passing” for “failing” an inspection. The inspection process is simply a way to determine the condition of the property on the day it was examined. Judgments should not be made by the inspector on whether this is a “good” house or a “bad” house. I always tell people, there is no such thing as a “bad house”, only a house at the “right price”.
• We can’t predict the future. Inspections are not a guarantee against something that might go wrong in six months. We can only evaluate what the current visible condition at the time of inspection.
• You get what you pay for. Experienced inspectors are more skilled and knowledgeable and will tend to charge more for their services. If you hire the cheapest inspector, you are likely hiring someone with little or no experience, or someone who really needs the work. Either way, it should raise red flags. A home inspection is perhaps the most important chapter in the home-buying saga with a 15-30 year mortgage commitment. Generally a home will be a person’s largest single investment. A good inspection is worth the extra cost.
• The inspection report should be clear and concise and written in plain English (not engineering speak). It should list clearly what is functioning properly, as well as those items in need of repair. Your report should require a degree in Rocket Science to understand. If it takes you more that 10 minutes to read your inspection report, you haven’t used SafeHouse Inspections.