Home Inspection Tips for Buyers

Are you wondering what inspections to get when buying a house? Who attends a home inspection and what to do during a home inspection? Many sellers in the San Jose area will do inspections ahead of time. Here's where you talk with your buyer's agents to look at the results of these inspections that the seller provided and decide if you need further inspection on top of that. Let’s talk about home inspection tips for buyers.

Three Inspections to Get an Overview of the Property

1. Property/General Inspection

2. Termite/Pest Inspection

3. Roof Inspection

If the seller did not provide any home inspections upfront, definitely get those scheduled as soon as possible and make sure you're accounting for the timeline of those inspectors in your contingency period. Timeline is really important, especially for a general property inspection. A general property inspection is going to highlight areas that need further inspections by an expert. For example, electrical, plumbing, and foundation. They'll usually talk about roof too. I recommend you get a roof inspection in one was not provided.

Who Attends a Home Inspection?

Definitely your buyer's agent should be there, but you as the buyer should also be at the inspections as well. It is worth the day off of work because this is a large investment that you are making. You want to make sure that:

1. You understand the property and feel comfortable with it.

2. You are there to see any items that need your attention.

What to Do During Inspection

There are five tasks or steps that I recommend you take care of during that home inspection time. Typically, a general property inspection will take two to three hours. So, you've got a lot of time to really research and get a good feel for the property.

1. Take a look around the house and look at all the details that you don't remember. Get a good feel for the house because it's probably not going to be a lot of opportunities again for you to visit the house until you close escrow and move in. This is your time to make plans and understand all the details of the house.

2. Take measurements. You need measurements for new appliances or for furniture to understand if your couch will fit. Or even just general room measurements so that you can play around with the furniture arrangement. This may be especially important in your kids' rooms, so that when you move, their items can go right into place and you can settle in quickly.

3. Understand any work that you plan to do on the property. Take detailed pictures so that you can speak with contractors or family members to discuss your plans. This is your opportunity to take care of those plans and gather any information that you need.

4. Check the seller's disclosures in detail and bring a checklist. Walk through those areas that have been a past problem per the disclosures. Take a very close detailed look so you have a full understanding of that area and can understand if it needs further attention.

5. Have the inspectors walk you through or show you the items that they found. Spend a good 20 minutes or whatever it requires at the end of the inspection to get the “highlight reel” or the overview of what the inspector found and have them actually point out those items to you.

This is a great learning opportunity for you to study your house. Take the opportunity to understand a little bit more about the details and how you're going to maintain it once it's yours.

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