How to Conduct a Home Inspection

house inspection

It's a good idea when you've decided that you are interested in a home that you take the time to inspect it. This does not mean that you should forego a professional home inspection. What it does mean is that by doing your own home inspection you can decide if you are still interested enough in the property to pay to have a professional home inspection done. Nothing hurts worse than wasting money.

Instructions

1. Look at the obvious. The first step of your simple home inspection is to take a look at what is right in front of you. Does the flooring need to be replaced? Does it have a funny smell? Are there holes in the walls or peeling wallpaper and paint? Even if all of these things are present, don't panic. These are cosmetic damages and relatively inexpensive to remedy.

2. Examine the roof and ceilings. As you walk through the house, look at the ceilings in every room. Is there evidence of roof leakage? Go outside and walk around the home from a distance. Are there shingles missing from the roof? Missing shingles don't necessarily mean there is roof damage, but it is a possibility. Does the roof look old, faded, and in need of being replaced? If a home inspection turns up the need for a new roof you'd end up paying anywhere from $2,500-$5000 or more depending on the size of the home.

3. Check under the house. While a professional home inspection includes a thorough check of the crawlspace of a home (if it has one. Some homes are built on a slab foundation)yours doesn't have to. What you are looking at is the boards. Do you see evidence of mold? Mold can look like traditional mold (a slimy green or black substance) or can appear as a whitish powder that looks much like dust. Touch it, is it wet to the touch? If so, this is mold and a thorough mold cleanup can cost up to $30,000 depending on how saturated the crawlspace is. For all the hype about mold, most types are unlikely to bother you and your family, but it will affect the resale value of the home if you ever decide to sell.

4. Check the wiring. Do all of the lights turn on and off as they should? Are there bundles of wires hanging out of the ceilings and walls at intervals? Hiring an electician to rewire a home is extremely expensive. With wiring, however, you never can tell if the problem is going to be simple or expensive until you call.

5. Check the air ducts. Wipe a paper towel around the inside of one of the air ducts. If you noticed mold in the crawlspace, has it made it into the air ducts? If so you may need an air duct cleaning. Many carpet cleaning companies offer this service. Don't ignore mold in the air ducts, however. This is how mold can circulate inside the home. Although many types of mold are harmless there are a few that are more dangerous. Your home inspector can tell you which kind you are harboring.

6. Decide if its worth it. If your consumer home inspection came across problems that would be expensive or too time consuming to fix, move on to the next house. Don't bother paying $300 to a home inspector to tell you what you already know. If, however, your home inspection turned up no big problems it may be time to give a professional home inspector a call to come and verify that the home is in tip top shape before you buy.

7. Don't expect perfection. After you've moved in small issues may crop up that went undetected in either your home inspection, your inspector's report, or both. That's going to happen. Homes, like people and cars, begin to have more trouble as they age. Roll with it, but don't blame either yourself or your professional inspector.