Home Inspectors Are A Very Important Part Of Real Estate Transaction

(The IRS has auditors, corporations have human resources (H.R.) and real estate transactions have home inspectors.)

Without these system checkers, major deals may fall apart.

Since just about everyone dislikes discussing IRS auditors (except for themselves) and HR is always bugging us to watch another informational video or telling us that our vacation time has already been used up, we will focus on the often overlooked and under appreciated home inspector.

The article, "Inspector helps homebuyers," written by Amy Winn and published November 14, 2006 in the Poughkeepsie Journal, explains how valuable home inspectors really are to every real estate transaction.

"Even in the most ideal real estate transactions, with the highest degree of good will on all sides, a seller can overlook a flaw, a real estate agent can underplay the urgency of a repair and a homebuyer can optimistically assume all is well."

This is why a home inspector is becoming part of just about every real estate transaction, to make sure every one involved is doing their job, or more accurately, to make sure the home is in sellable shape.

"'I've always had the attitude that it's not my job to tell them to buy or not buy. The idea is not to scare people, but to educate them about what they are dealing with,' said James Snyder, who operates Executive Inspection Services in the Town of Poughkeepsie."

Basically, inspectors do what most of us would believe they do and that is, they thoroughly inspect the house from the surface of the roof to the crawl space in the basement.

In doing this, inspectors' primary concern is to seek out water leaks, mold/mildew, radon, rodent or insect infestations and any structural concerns that could cause future irrevocable damage.

"They examine windows and doors, gutters, furnaces and boilers, fireplaces and flues, carpeting and flooring, plumbing, electrical systems, heating and air-conditioning systems, insulation and appliances."

"Inspections can take more than two hours, depending on house size, problems and complexity of reports. Prices vary, but inspectors said a typical range is $250-350. Some will create reports immediately on-site, or within a day or two."

Home inspectors all agree that the home owner comes first when doing an inspection.

"Snyder said homebuyers should feel the inspector is their advocate, not the real estate agent's. Customers understand this, Snyder said, as he gets half his business from agent referrals and half from the Internet."

Home owners seem to trust the inspector more than any agent or broker because the inspector is neutral in the transaction process. The inspector would have nothing to gain by not telling the truth.

And the truth can hurt for buyer, seller and agent when the inspector finds something wrong with the home. If there is electrical or structural damage, the inspectors is obligated to inform all invested parties and show or demonstrate the validity and serious degree of the damage.

While they may be seen as the home buyer's best friend in the real estate world, home inspectors may save the seller and agent time and frustration as well by helping the buyer avoid moving in and then backing out of a damaged home or suing if there is proof of a potential cover up.

Back to Articles