Author: Dr Penny Pincher / Source: Wise Bread
It’s important to get a home inspection when buying a house. There are many hidden issues that can emerge after you buy a property that are expensive to correct. Spending a few hundred dollars to have a professional home inspection beforehand is a good way to avoid costly surprises with your new property — but only if you get a reliable home inspector who will carefully check out your house and identify these issues.
This year, I discovered that an inadequate home inspection cost me over $10,000. My roof started leaking, causing damage inside. When a roofing contractor checked it out, he had me come up on a ladder and showed me that there were three layers of shingles on most of the roof. The new shingles on the top layer were covering up all kinds of problems underneath. The roofer was surprised that my home inspector didn’t let me know about the poor condition of the roof. It turns out that my home inspector never even went up on the roof during his inspection. The inspection report had a photo of the roof taken from the ground, but it looked okay since it had new shingles on top. (See also: Thinking of Skipping the Home Inspection? Here’s What It Will Cost You)
Had I known that the roof was failing, I could have negotiated a new roof as part of the purchase agreement, or I could have replaced the roof before it started leaking and saved myself a lot of stress. I could have avoided getting an inadequate home inspection by asking the right questions.
Here are some questions to ask before hiring a home inspector for your future home.
1. Who is recommending this home inspector?
Be wary of home inspectors who are recommended by your banker or by your real estate agent. These parties are motivated to have a home inspection that goes smoothly and results in a deal that closes so that they get paid. They will tend to recommend “easy” home inspectors that are not as likely to point out issues that could derail the sale.
2. What are your qualifications to be a home inspector?
Good qualifications for a home inspector would include experience…
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