The world of real estate requires a lot of savvy navigation, savviness that most people do not have. Thankfully, there are professionals you can hire to help protect your investment in a home. One of these is a property inspector. Never make an offer on a home without hiring a property inspector to do a thorough property inspection first. Here is why.
What You Cannot See Will Hurt You
A home inspector can uncover water damage, mold, poor insulation, asbestos, electrical problems that could lead to fires, rusted out water heaters (they rust out on the bottom where you would never see it), sinking and cracking foundations, rodents, pest infestations, and so much more. If you bought the property and these things were not evident to you and/or not disclosed to you, you would be stuck sinking thousands more into fixing them. Of course, that is if these issues did not make you sick or kill you first.
Something Wrong Is Your Bargaining Chip
When a property inspector finds something structurally wrong (cosmetic does not count), or wrong with systems in the house, you have bargaining chips. It means that you can either make an offer for thousands less than the asking price and you fix those problems, or you offer the sellers what they are asking if they fix all of those issues prior to paying them. If they agree to the latter, hire the property inspector again to make sure the sellers followed through per your terms. (Some sellers can be shifty and replace the worn items with used but newer parts, and you would not know it without the property inspector's reexamination of things.)
Some Sellers Do Not Disclose Everything That Is Wrong With the House
Think about it. If you were trying to sell a house that had a chronic infestation of ants every spring and mice every fall, would you disclose that to buyers? Maybe you would, and maybe you would not. It depends on honesty, personal integrity, and how quickly you wanted to sell the property. Hiring a property inspector helps you uncover everything the sellers do not disclose or may not know about the property and therefore could not disclose because they themselves did not know.
The Price of Hiring a Property Inspector Is So Worth It
Property inspectors charge between two hundred dollars and a thousand, depending on where you live and who you hire. However, when you compare that to overpaying for a home that has serious problems, and you are too broke just buying it, the expense of the property inspection is worth it. He or she is your protection agent against paying too much for the property, against expensive repairs in your first year in the home, and against dangerous or unhealthy situations in the home.
Share23 September 2018
When I started looking for a new home, I realized that there were a few things I needed to be careful about. For instance, I really needed to focus on finding a home that would appreciate in value, so I began thinking about investing in the right property. After quite a bit of research, I was able to find a great neighborhood that had a big support system for my family. After we found a house we loved, we worked with a real estate agent to procure it, and it was really nice to feel like we belonged somewhere. Read this blog about ways to find amazing pieces of real estate the first time around.