What is a Home Inspection?

Guest Blog Post
Courtesy of Galaxy Property Inspection

What is a Home Inspection?

While the home inspection process can be scary, it’s really not. If you purchase a car, you would want to know that a mechanic has looked at it and that, for the most part, it’s ok and will get you to where it will go. The mechanic can’t predict when the car will break down, but they can give you some peace of mind
that you aren’t buying something that is falling apart. The home inspector is doing the same type of initial inspection. They can’t tell you when or if the home is going to break or have issues, but they can point out any current issues with the home or items that may need to be addressed before the home is
put on the market by a seller, or purchased by a buyer. A home inspection is not a process to pass or fail a home. The home inspection offers an opinion about
the condition of the home based on observations made on the day of the inspection by a professionally trained home inspector. The inspection report provides a client with information about the home that may be of concern or interest. Every home has defects and every client should expect that each report
will include a thorough list of items that can and should be addressed, no matter how major or minor the defect may be.

Who benefits from a home inspection?

As an inspector, I have seen many times where $500 in repairs can cost a seller $5000 at the closing table. The buyer hires an inspector who provides a list of deficiencies. The buyer then looks at that list and tells the seller that they will take the home as-is; however, they want to reduce the price by $5K or
ask for $5K in seller assistance. However, had the seller made the repairs ahead of time, they could have maximized that selling price and reduced the opportunity for buyers to renegotiate. As an inspector, I have also seen where buyers walk away from a perfectly good home simply because the inspection report has 30 or 40 deficiencies listed.

Remember, the job of the inspector is to point out anything they see on
the day of the inspection, no matter how major or minor. Don’t let the
overall number scare you away. Talk to your home inspector. Ask as
many questions as you like. Most of the time, over half of those deficiencies
could be repaired for little cost.

You really only need to be concerned with the major, high-dollar items that could be very expensive to repair. That being said, always trust an inspection to a professional home inspector. Friends and family are fun to take to a new home, but they do not have the training required to be a home inspector. Let the professionals look at your home and give you feedback regarding its condition.

Visit the Galaxy Property Inspection Website