Residential Home Inspections
Buyers
Purchasing a home is an exciting time and one of the largest investments you will ever make. Whether new construction or an existing home, it is important to know what you are really buying before entering into this transaction. After you have a signed contract with the seller, you should request a home inspection as soon as possible. With your Realtor’s help, our inspection report can be used in negotiations with the seller to ask for repairs or request a price reduction for working out a fair price for the home. Additionally, by getting the issues noted and resolved early, the lender is less likely to hold up the closing.
Sellers
If you are thinking of selling your home, it may be wise to have your home inspected before you list it. The inspector will go through the home just as he would for a buyer and point out items needing repair that you may not be aware of. Having this information beforehand, can give you time to decide if you want to do the repairs to make your house appealing to buyers or if you can’t do all of them, price your house accordingly. Most importantly, this inspection and report can help you eliminate items that may cause a problem with the buyer being able to obtain homeowners insurance potentially killing any sale.
What is a Residential Home Inspection
A home inspection is a non-invasive visual examination of the accessible areas and systems of the home giving you and your Realtor important unbiased information about the major structures and systems of the home. Our professional home inspector’s experience and well-trained eyes can identify defects within the home and what costs, repairs or maintenance the home may require immediately, and over time. Having this information prior to closing also puts you in a better position to re-negotiate the contract price, if needed.
Items inspected include but are not limited to the following:
Structure and foundation – observable cracks and settlement issues, support system deterioration or damage.
Roof system – description and condition of the roof material, decking and associated components looking for evidence of water leaks and estimating remaining life of the material.
Interior and exterior walls – breaches in the integrity of the exterior surface, cracking and peeling paint, interior drywall damage and unprofessional repairs, condition of built-in cabinetry, baseboards, etc.
Attic insulation and ventilation – presence of adequate insulation and ventilation system for energy efficiency and comfort in the home.
Plumbing system – checking all plumbing drain and supply lines, shut-off valves and faucets for leaks, inspection of operation of all plumbing fixtures.
Electrical system – inspection of the main service and subpanels for any malfunctioning or improperly installed breakers, checking all electrical outlets, switches and fixtures, looking for any unsafe wiring or other electrical hazards.
Heating, ventilation and cooling system – description and condition of the air handling and condensing units, operation of the cooling and heating sides of the HVAC system, examining all vents, returns, duct-work and drain lines.
Fireplace and chimney – noting any damage to the inside or outside components and alerting to any safety hazards present.
Windows and doors – operation of all openings of the home including the garage door(s), checking for broken, misaligned, malfunctioning, rotted or rusted materials. Recommendations for improvements if energy efficiency is of concern.
Appliances – each appliance will be run through its entire cycle to determine that it is in correct working order, any damage or defects will be pointed out, as a courtesy, items near the end of their useful life will be noted for budgeting purposes.
Floors and ceilings – description of the flooring material and any damage observed will be noted; any evidence of water leaks or other damage to the ceiling drywall will be pointed out.
Swimming pool/spa and related equipment – thorough inspection of the pump, filter and valves, as well as the jets, drains and lights within the pool/spa, assessment of the pool/spa shells and decking, any other equipment such as solar panels and related plumbing and gas or electric heater.
Lawn irrigation system – operation of the sprinkler system and checking that the valves, sprinkler heads and timer are all working as they should and noting any damaged components. As a courtesy, will note which source of water is used.
Docks, seawalls and boat – lift equipment – a thorough inspection of the dock and seawall’s structure and support systems is completed, operation of the boat-lift motor and condition of the mechanisms is described.
Grounds – the inspector will walk the entire property and point out any issues with fencing, grading and drainage, exterior buildings, porches and driveways.
Our fees are all inclusive so that you know exactly what you are paying on the day of the inspection. We do not charge extra fees for pools and docks, etc. as some other inspection companies do. And we include your 4-Point and Wind Mitigation homeowner insurance reports at the time of the full home inspection. This is a huge savings in time and money for you, so you do not have to worry about scheduling a separate insurance inspection later.
The wind mitigation report lists features of the home’s construction and any added protection of hurricane panels or impact rated products, storm rated garage door, etc. to obtain discounts on your quoted premium. If the house is more than 20 years old, the 4-point inspection is often required and tells the insurance company that the house has had updates to the roof, plumbing, electrical and HVAC systems and what condition they are in. They want to know that the items are in proper working order and want an estimate of the service life remaining.
Your inspection reports will be emailed to you, usually within 24 hours, in the PDF format. The home inspection report includes a summary and is easy to understand. The report is itemized by areas inspected with color photographs showing all areas of concern. If you need printed reports mailed to you there is a fee of $15.00 added and you will not receive it the next business day.
We will be happy to answer any questions you have and can make recommendations for contacting reputable contractors to assist you with estimates and repairs needed. We can perform a re-inspection of all repairs completed before you close the deal for a very low fee. This can ensure that everything that was promised by the seller has been delivered and is properly installed and working correctly.
We want to help make your home buying experience less stressful and give you piece of mind that your future home is a safe and happy environment that will be a pleasure to live in for many years.
