So You skipped your home inspection… Surely not the best of decisions. Waiving your right to the home Inspection seems to be a common practice in the current real estate market. But it doesn’t come without risk. Many folks think the home inspection is done to find every nit-picky little thing wrong with the home, while most reports do have that information in them, the inspection is really there to find items that are major repair items that either effect the health and safety, value, or usability of the home. Many major repair items can cause an undue financial hardship on the buyer. I know what you’re thinking, “I skipped my inspection, quit beating me up about it, there’s nothing I can do about it now.” Au contraire, my good friend…
Let me introduce to you a new way to go through the real estate purchasing process. If you purchased your home without an inspection, having an Inspection Performed before you move in is a smart idea for a few reasons.
- You will want to make sure there are no safety hazards. Can you imagine if your young child climbed through the balusters and fell down the stairwell? Maybe the furnace heat exchanger was defective and there was carbon monoxide in the home? Almost every house we inspect has some sort of electrical issue, and many times they are fire hazards. If you waived your right to a home inspection having a post-closing inspection performed prior to moving in can protect you and your family.
- How to operate your home. This one is especially true for first time homebuyers. At the inspection you will learn how all of the systems work as well as some maintenance items like how to change your furnace filter, how to maintain a tankless water heater, how and where to reset GFCI protected receptacles. The inspection will also identify areas in need of regular maintenance such as caulking around windows and doors, showers and bathtubs. You will also be reminded about smoke and carbon monoxide safety and reminders for changing door locks upon move-in. The list of items is far too large for this post.
- Some home inspectors offer complementary warranty protection with the inspection. With every residential inspection performed by Zuehlke Inspections warranties are included at no charge. The warranties we include currently are: 90 day warranties that cover Appliances, Mold, Sewer, also a 5 year warranty that covers roof leaks.
- Some home inspectors also have access to longer term warranties that your real estate agent may not know about. We currently can offer our clients a 1 year warranty that covers termites, mold, sewer lateral, and all of the other things other 1 year warranties cover. Also since our clients had a quality inspection performed, the warranty is extended 6 extra months for no charge. 18 months for the price of 12.
- You will want to document the condition of the home prior to move in. If you waived the inspection, you may have relied on the real estate condition report. What if the seller did not disclose a known defect? It may be that the only way to prove the defect existed is having a pre-move in inspection performed. If legal action is necessary, they your lawyer will need documentation from an unbiased third party. With this process you may be able to recoup some repair costs.
As you can see, if you waived your inspection, there are still options for you to make sure you are in a safe home that will maintain it’s value going forward. To see what we look at when we inspect a home check out our buyers inspection here.
-AZ
Aaron M. Zuehlke is the owner and inspector at Zuehlke Inspection Service, LLC, a full-service home inspection company serving Southern Wisconsin. Specializing in Home inspection, Radon Testing, Mold Testing/inspection, Residential Thermal Imaging, and Manufactured Home Foundation Certifications. He also manages several rental properties through Zuehlke Properties, LLC. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or by calling the office at 608-931-7485.
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