Home Inspections In Pueblo West, Colorado
When to Have the Property Inspected
Most buyers get professional inspections only after they're in contract to buy the property. The deal is commonly made contingent on the buyers' approving the results of one or more home inspections. The buyer arranges and schedules the inspections.
Before paying for a professional home inspection, you can conduct your own informal inspection. Look for issues like sloping floors or bowing walls, signs of water damage, missing roof shingles or gutters coming loose, old or low-quality fixtures and appliances, and other signs of wear, tear, or needed repair. The best time to do this is before you make an offer, so that you can save yourself the trouble should you find serious problems.
Another, less commonly used possibility is to ask the seller to let you do a pre inspection before submitting your offer. Why, given the cost of these home inspections, would you do this?
Because if you're in a situation where you're competing against other buyers (which can happen in any market, if a house is particularly desirable), this can help you set your offer apart. You'd most likely be able to submit an offer without an inspection contingency, thus reassuring the seller that your offer price is firm, not something you're likely to whittle away at after you're in contract, based on whatever a later inspection reveals. (On the other hand, you risk coming in with an offer price that's lower than others', having taken the house's problems--which only you know about at that point--into account.) Some sellers will refuse to allow pre inspections in any case, particularly because, if you alert them to problems with the house, they're then obligated to divulge these to other potential buyers.
How to Prepare for a Home Inspection
Here are some more ways you can be ready for the buyer’s home inspection:
If you have moved out of the house make sure the power remains on. Make sure all light bulbs are working by changing them before the home inspection. The home inspector will want to be able to view all areas of your home. Also, he or she won’t need additional time to see if the receptacle is not working or if it is just a blown light bulb. Thin out your closets of clothes so the home inspector can see inside them. Remove items away from basement walls so they can be inspected for cracks and water penetration areas. If there is access to the attic in a closet, make sure it is accessible. Change the filters to your furnace and leave any service tags so the home inspector can see them. If your home is vacant, make sure the power is on, and there is fuel so that the systems can be inspected. Keep in mind that the home inspection is one of the most significant hurdles for a seller to clear. It is vital to make sure your house does not have any glaring defects. Do what you can to make this part of the transaction go smoothly.
