RSS
Print This Post Print This Post

Patricia Tan – Perspectives – International REAL Estate

Patricia Tan

Why Should I Have a Formal Home Inspection?

By Patricia Tan

Truth is confirmed by inspection and delay
Falsehood by haste and uncertainty
Tacitus, A.D. 56 to 117

The Roman historian Tacitus was certainly not commenting about a modern day home inspection, but nevertheless home buyers should heed his advice.

Nowhere is the Latin phrase Caveat Emptor, (Buyer Beware) more feared than in the real estate market. It really is the responsibility of the home buyer to ascertain exactly what he is buying in terms of the condition of the property.

In most cases, detailed inspections will be performed after a contract for sale of a home has been agreed. Why spend money on professional inspections if you don’t know whether buyer and seller can agree on terms of the sale? There are occasions, however, when a seller may conduct pre-sale inspections of a home in order to give buyers a sense of security in moving forward with a purchase. In this situation, the buyer should still make their own inspections.

It is important to consider inspections at the time you make an offer to purchase a property. Any offer should be contingent upon the buyer being satisfied with the result of any inspections and/or the seller agreeing to make repairs to address issues that arise during the inspections, or giving the buyer the right to cancel the contract.

Home inspections should be carried out by qualified, licensed professionals.

Can a buyer make their own inspections?
Yes they can, but a word of caution. Just how much does the buyer really know about construction and buildings? They may be purchasing a property in another country or state where the standards of construction and the systems used are not familiar. Consider the buyer from Alaska purchasing a home in Florida, and how different insulation requirements would be, or the Alaskan’s unfamiliarity with outdoor pool equipment.

Should you inspect a brand new house?
Many buyers of newly constructed homes do not make a formal home inspection. They choose to skip this step as they believe the builder will remedy any issues under the builder warranty. This is usually the case, but some absentee owners/investors do perform professional inspections, especially if the new home is to be rented immediately. The tenant may not appreciate the importance of reporting problems promptly if those problems do not interfere with their enjoyment of the house. For instance, if an electrical outlet is not working, the tenant may simply use another outlet and neglect to inform the owner, builder or property manager about the issue.
What should be inspected?

The objective of a home inspection is to ascertain the condition of the building. The number and type of components included in the inspection will vary depending upon the particular property, but the inspection should address such things as:

• Type and standard of construction
• Foundation
• Roof
• Windows
• Doors
• Plumbing
• Electrical systems
• Heating and cooling systems
• Appliances
• Pool

The inspection report will indicate the age and condition of the home and whether things are functioning in the correct manner.

A home inspector should be licensed and belong to one of the professional home inspection organizations such as the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) or the National Society of Home Inspectors (NAHI).

It is important that the buyer personally select the inspector who will carry out the work. Buyers may receive recommendations from their real estate agent, but a professional agent will be careful not to steer customers to a particular inspector, rather they will encourage the customer to call several inspectors and select the one they feel most comfortable with.

How do I choose a home inspector?
Call the inspector directly or look at their websites. Always check that they are licensed and belong to a professional association. Ask to see an example of the kind of report they produce. Some reports will be made up of a list with check boxes, while others will have more narrative. Ask how many photographs are usually included in the report – especially important if you will not be present during the inspection.

Taking care to choose the right home inspector to carry out an extensive inspection on behalf of a home buyer will most certainly pay dividends and help the buyer avoid what could be a costly mistake. As our Roman friends may have said: Amat victoria curam – Victory favors care.

patricia-tanPatricia Tan was born in England, and her career in international sales and marketing led her to live and work in many countries around the world before moving to Sarasota in 1997. Patricia is a Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS), Graduate Realtor Institute (GRI), and Transnational Referral Certified (TRC). She is involved in global activities of the Sarasota, Florida and National Association of Realtors, and currently serves as NAR President’s Liaison to U.K. Her real estate business operates from Coldwell Banker on St Armands Key, where her focus is to bring international buyers to the local market. She regularly makes marketing trips to Canada, Asia and Europe, to promote Florida’s Gulf Coast and the Sarasota area in particular. Patricia may be reached at 941-504-9232 or Pat@PatriciaTan.com.

Copyright © 2015 REAL Exclusive Magazine www.getrealexclusive.com
Links to this article are encouraged

Share

Tags: ,

Leave a Reply


Featured Properties

Ads

REAL HAPPENINGS

April 2, 2020 Ringling Underground

April 2, 2020 Ringling Underground

CANCELLED Ringling Underground CANCELLED. Enjoy live music, and art in the Museum of Art Courtya[...]
CleanSlate Property Services Opens

CleanSlate Property Services Opens

CleanSlate Property Services, a local concierge handyman business. My name is Tim White, former [...]
March 5, 2020 Ringling Underground

March 5, 2020 Ringling Underground

Ringling Underground Returns. Enjoy live music, and art in the Museum of Art Courtyard 8:00pm -1[...]
March 6, 2020 Gettel Toyota Grand Opening

March 6, 2020 Gettel Toyota Grand Opening

You're Invited To Gettel Toyota Of Bradenton's Grand Opening. On Friday, March 6th, from 12pm-2:[...]
March 12-13, 2020 Pop Up Art Show

March 12-13, 2020 Pop Up Art Show

Sarasota Architectural Salvage Hosts Event To Support Local Artists. For more information and/or[...]
February 6, 2020 Ringling Underground

February 6, 2020 Ringling Underground

Ringling Underground Returns. Enjoy live music, and art in the Museum of Art Courtyard 8:00pm -1[...]
January 25, 2020 Spoons And Tunes

January 25, 2020 Spoons And Tunes

TheWineToBuy.com Hosts Innovative Wine Tasting. Tired of the same old BS? Then join TheWineToBuy[...]
February 7, 2020 Thunder By The Bay Kick Off Party

February 7, 2020 Thunder By The Bay Kick Off Party

White Buffalo Saloon Hosts Born To Be Wild! Join REAL as we kick off 2020's Thunder by the Bay. [...]
Curb Appeal Detailing Opens New Sarasota Location

Curb Appeal Detailing Opens New Sarasota Location

Auto Enthusiasts Take Note. Curb Appeal Detailing announced the opening of their new location i[...]
January 11, 2020 National Hot Toddy Day

January 11, 2020 National Hot Toddy Day

How To Warm Up On A Chilly Day. Today is National Hot Toddy Day! A hot toddy is a delicious drin[...]
Anheuser-Busch Launches New Hard Seltzer

Anheuser-Busch Launches New Hard Seltzer

Bud Light Seltzer Arrives Just In Time For The Super Bowl! Anheuser-Busch is launching a new har[...]
Ocala Gains New Urgent Care Center

Ocala Gains New Urgent Care Center

StatMed Urgent Care Center Ocala Opens January 2, 2020. StatMed Urgent Care Center is a step abo[...]
New Year's Eve 2019-2020 Tow To Go

New Year's Eve 2019-2020 Tow To Go

Everyone Have A Safe New Year’s Eve Tonight! Tow to Go is a partnership between AAA & Budweiser.[...]
Wyze Labs Data Breach

Wyze Labs Data Breach

Multiple Data Breaches Exposes Information Of 2.4 Million Customers. Wyze Labs' low cost, inter[...]
Westbound SR 70 Southbound I75 Ramp To Close

Westbound SR 70 Southbound I75 Ramp To Close

8 Months of New Detours Loom Large! Starting at 11 p.m. Thursday, January 2nd, the westbound on-[...]
Wawa Data Breach

Wawa Data Breach

Wawa Facing Wave Of Lawsuits Over Data Breach. On December 10, Wawa's information security team [...]
December 26, 2019 Deck the Halls @ Ca' d'Zan

December 26, 2019 Deck the Halls @ Ca' d'Zan

Ca' d'Zan All Decked Out. On December 26th, from 5:00pm – 8:00pm join The Ringling for Deck the [...]
January 22, 2020 Ringling's Wisconsin Pullman Tour

January 22, 2020 Ringling's Wisconsin Pullman Tour

Private Tour of the Wisconsin Pullman Car. Join Jennifer Lemmer-Posey, Tibbals Curator of Circus [...]
Commercial Investment Division Changes Name

Commercial Investment Division Changes Name

RASM Commercial Division Now Know As Commercial Real Estate Alliance. The Realtor Association of[...]
December 3, 2019 GivingTuesday

December 3, 2019 GivingTuesday

Join the GivingTuesday Movement. GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the po[...]
Translate »