5 Reasons Saving a Little Money on an Inspection Can Cost You a Fortune...

The costs of buying a home in Minnesota add up quickly and often cause buyers to skimp on expenses when it comes to having an inspection. Passing up the chance to do a private inspection on the home you are buying can be a costly mistake. 

The top 5 Reasons a Buyer would be wise to have a Home Inspection include:

1) Even ‘New Things’ can be a problem. Don’t assume that just because the roof, siding or windows are new, they were installed correctly. I have been to numerous inspections with Warren from Homebuyers Inspections Inc. and watched as he uncovered recently installed siding without proper flashing, or a new roof with no drip edge or ice and water shield.

2) Fabulous, Clean Homes in Great Condition can have hidden items you won’t find on showings.  It’s tempting to think homes in excellent condition won’t have any problems.  Most often, these homes do not harbor major challenges, but if they do, it can be very expensive. I’ll never forget just such an inspection, it was a lovely home in excellent condition, and everything seemed great.  Then we heard the dreaded, ”Wow, what in the world did they do?” from the inspector, who was in the attic.  Turns out a previous owner had decided to put a vault in the owner’s bedroom ceiling and had cut the roof trusses without providing any additional support.  Lots of snow on that roof could have been a disaster.

3) We often see work done without permits, usually by the homeowner themselves.  It's not too uncommon to find a basement finished without permits being pulled for electrical or plumbing work.  A good inspector will take the entire cover off the electrical panel, check for signs of a permit and make sure things look safe.  On the plumbing side, I was intrigued about a year ago when Warren was able to determine the lower level plumbing in a home was not properly vented.  He figured this out just by listening to the water go down the shower drain, Amazing!

4) Mechanical Systems can harbor problems which cannot be seen at all.  These challenges include carbon monoxide levels in the furnace, lack of coolant in the air conditioning, gas leaks, and non-softening water softeners.  It takes a very knowledgeable person and some special equipment to uncover some of these hidden repairs.

5) The Inspection is the Safety Net for Buyers.  The Inspection Addendum allows you, as a buyer, to re-evaluate the purchase agreement, ask for repairs to be performed, ask for an adjustment to the purchase price, or outright cancel the purchase agreement altogether and retain their earnest money.  This is the safety net in the system that can save you a fortune in future repairs.

Home Buyers Inspections Inc, is owned and operated by Warren Schultz, an ASHI certified home inspector.  You can read more about Home Buyers Inspections Inc. on their Website.  As always, if you have questions, email them and we will happily get back to you. Learn more at www.SellingSouthoftheRiver.com