What to expect from a home inspection and answers to questions about home inspection costs.
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What to expect from a home inspection..
and answers to questions about home inspection costs.
Never judge a book by its cover, I’m sure you’ve heard that before right? What about homes? Can you judge a home purely by how it looks? I’m sure every realtor wishes that were true but the fact is, paint and decor can go a long way to cover up problems and issues that may be a huge headache for the buyer.
Many realtors have so much experience that they can spot a home’s red flags right away, but that doesn’t make them certified to perform a home inspection. So, that begs the question: how does a buyer protect themselves when they’re purchasing home? The answer to that is to find trusted professionals for each step of they buying process, including the inspection.
First, let’s answer the question: What is a home inspection? How does it differ from an appraisal?
A home inspection is a visual examination of the structure and systems of a house or property from top to bottom and is performed by an objective party. The inspector will examine every aspect of a home including the foundation, building structure, electrical systems, heating and cooling units, roof, insulation, and every other visual portion of a property.
The purpose of this inspection is to identify potential issues that could put a home or inhabitant in danger or result in costly repairs.
Home inspection vs. appraisal
While a home inspection takes into consideration the physical structure of a home, the purpose of a home appraisal is to determine the market value of home. An appraisal is also a visual examination of the home but it is to establish the size of the structure, how many rooms the home has, and the square footage of the home. The appraiser will also perform a research on homes nearby to determine the comparable value of the home.
Is a home inspection required?
To be brief: No. In order to get a loan or purchase a home you don’t have to get a home inspection. However, and this is a big BUT, foregoing a home inspection could cost you thousands of dollars, not to mention time and stress if you discover an issue that could easily have been addressed by an inspection professional.
As I mentioned above, many things can be done to cover up issues such as painting walls and ceilings to hide water marks from leaky roofs. Mold spots can be bleached and covered. Electrical systems that are not up to code can still work, and to the untrained eye, a home can appear perfect.
I have an uncle who is a contractor and will check out the home for me, is that enough?
I kid you not, this is a real question. While the uncle may be very good at his job, chances are he hasn’t been trained to identify issues the way a certified inspector is. Let’s say your aunt is a seamstress and quite deft with a pair of scissors, would you trust her to cut your hair? My gut tells me no. Also, let’s say you do allow your personal friend/relative/babysitter to check out the home for you, what happens if you identify an issue later on, would you want to hold them responsible for missing it? Again, my gut says no.
Clearly the solution at this point is to hire a certified home inspector.
The most common question I get once this has been decided is: How much does a home inspection cost?
The cost for home inspection varies depending on geography and size of the home. The national average home inspection cost is less than $400. For an average home in Orlando greater than 2,000 square feet the home inspection cost will run you around $400-$500. These numbers change and you’ll need to get an estimate from your local realtor when you’re ready to schedule your inspection.
Now that you’ve decided to have a home inspection you might also ask: How long does a home inspection take? And: Do I need to be present during the inspection?
Most home inspections take between 2-3 hours and you’re not required to be present. However it’s helpful for you to attend in order to ask the inspector questions and see the same things they are seeing so you have a reference when you receive the full report later.
Typically, home inspectors will deliver your inspection report within a few days of the inspection, sometimes even within a few hours depending on what references they need to research.
You might have realized by now that the consensus is that a home inspection is one of the most valuable services you can employ as part of your home buying process. Imagine finding a home you love and feeling confident in moving forward with your purchase once you know exactly what’s going on “under the hood”. Even better, imagine being able to work with the sellers to arrange for repairs or re-negotiate your offer to limit your responsibility of repair costs.
Having the peace of mind that an inspection provides is worth every penny of the cost of the home inspection.
Now that you’ve realized how valuable the home inspection is you might ask: How do I hire a home inspector near me?
This may seem obvious, but the first step is to ask your realtor. They will provide names of inspectors they’ve worked with previously and had a good experience with. Relying on your local professional realtors for referrals is the best advice I can ever give, however you should still make sure your home inspector has the proper credentials.
In Florida home inspectors are regulated by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). You can check if your home inspector is licensed by contacting the DBPR via their website: www.myfloridalicense.com.
If you’re in the Central Florida or Space Coast area and have questions about home inspections or the home buying process you can email me lianna@soteraliving.com and I’ll do my best to put you in touch with the right people.
Lianna D’Angelo is the owner and principle broker of Sotera Living, a real estate agency and brokerage located in Central Florida. Sotera Living serves home owners and home buyers throughout all of Central Florida including Winter Park, Baldwin Park, College Park, Orlando, Lake Nona, as well as the Space Coast.