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| Inspections |
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| About Termite Inspections | Are Home Inspections Needed | Disclaimer Clauses |
| Home Inspections | Inspection Repairs | Inspections are Important |
| Preparing To Sell | Structural Inspections | What Type of Inspection Do I Need ? |
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About Termite Inspections  |
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| Providing a termite clearance is a fairly standard requirement of any offer to purchase. The buyer may also require such a clearance before a lending institution will provide funds for the purchase. In order to provide such a clearance you will have to arrange for an inspection by a licensed exterminator. The exterminator will examine your house for evidence of current, or past, infestation. If you had your home treated in the past it may save you some money if you contact the company that did the extermination for you and get the certification from them. |
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| If your house does prove to have a termite problem, get a list of qualified exterminators to find out what type of treatments they offer and the cost of their service. The costs and treatment recommended may vary considerably. It is a good idea to arrange for a termite inspection as soon as you decide to sell your home. You will then have time to have any problem attended to before it may interfere with a potential sale. |
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| Ask your Realtor® for the names of reputable exterminators in your area. |
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| Are Home Inspections Needed |
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| As a purchaser, money spent on a home inspection is an excellent investment. Due to the increase in lawsuits against sellers who have failed to disclose defects to purchasers, it is now becoming a good idea for sellers to also consider a home inspection. |
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| It is very easy to live in a house and be unaware of a potentially serious problem simmering in the background. If you sell your house and it proves to have a serious defect, ignorance of that defect may not protect you from legal action by the purchasers. |
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| It is not always what you knew and disclosed that is important but also what you should have known. If you have had the property inspected by a qualified Home Inspector and have their report in writing, you will have some protection against legal action. If there are damages to be paid and your inspector is bonded, the inspector may well have to pay the damages. |
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| Ask your Realtor® for the names of qualified home inspectors in your area. |
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| Disclaimer Clauses |
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| When you hire a professional inspector to examine a house, you will, in most cases, be asked to sign a document. That document will contain a description of the scope of the inspection and also have a disclaimer that is intended to relieve the inspector and/or his company for any liability if he misses a defect. |
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| Read the description of the scope of the examination and make sure it covers everything you wish checked. There is no point in hiring an inspector largely because you are concerned about hidden dry rot if he does not check for that! Make sure that everything you are specifically concerned with is mentioned as part of the scope of inspection. |
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| The disclaimer clause may indeed protect the Inspection Company if the inspector misses a hidden defect.However, if something obvious was missed, it was part of the stated scope of inspection, and there was clearly negligence on the part of the inspector, it is unlikely that the disclaimer will offer legal protection to the company. |
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| If you wish to claim damages for a missed defect, approach the Inspection Company before you spend money on legal help. The company may be willing to make reparation. |
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| Home Inspections |
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| Your offer to purchase should always be subject to inspection of the premises by a professional home inspector who is hired by you to present an independent, unbiased opinion of the property's structural health. |
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| Their inspection should cover all parts of the structure normally accessible, including the roof, gutters, crawl space, attic and built-in cupboards and closets. They should check visible plumbing, electrical and heating system components and include any outside attachments such as patios, decks and the like. |
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| Outside yard areas and fences are included, as well as the garage and any other outbuildings or structure that forms a part of the purchase. The inspection should not alter the structure to allow access and the position of furniture or personal belongings should remain untouched. |
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| The inspection report will offer the inspector's professional opinion of the property's structural soundness, but will not include a recommendation for or against purchase, an estimate of repair/renovation costs, or confirm adherence to building code regulations. |
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| Inspection Repairs |
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| As a matter of course buyers will commonly add a contingency clause to their offer that allows them to bring in a professional home inspector who will subject the structure and its systems to a thorough inspection. |
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| Defects found in the process will be added to a list of repairs that they will often pass on to you for attention before the sale can go forward. The list may include items that the buyer would like to have done, but which you feel is beyond your responsibility. |
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| The contract usually obligates you to ensure that the home is structurally sound, with all systems, and appliances in working order, but unreasonable demands such a new stove, or replacement of the garage roof may be more than you want to do. You may refuse items of this nature, but risk losing the sale as a result. Your agent will be able to help you judge how far to go in this regard. |
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| Agreed upon repairs should be handled as quickly as possible by licensed, reputable contractors and copies of receipts for work performed passed on to the buyer, so that the sale may proceed. |
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| Inspections are Important |
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| It would be very unusual for an offer to be made on any building without an inspection clause. A structural inspection will advise the buyers as to the condition of the structure and all integral parts of that structure. This would include plumbing and electrical systems. |
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| The inspector will not give the house a "pass" or "fail" grade. They will give the buyers a written report detailing what has been found. The buyers can then anticipate any expenditure they may need to make on the building. If the inspector has found a few minor problems the buyers may just go ahead with the deal as written. |
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| If the inspection turns up more serious defects the deal may not go through or the buyers could possibly want to renegotiate their offer to reflect the cost of effecting these repairs. |
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| Your Realtors® will help both parties renegotiate the deal if the structural inspection warrants it. |
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| Preparing To Sell |
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| Prospective buyers of your home will want to know that the structure is in good repair and that the plumbing, wiring and so on are functioning properly. |
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| They'll want a pre-purchase inspection by an unbiased expert that they commission to assure them that this is so and provision for it to be carried out is normally stipulated as part of the offer. |
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| It would be well to fix anything you know about before you list the property. A roof that leaks in wet weather, faulty plumbing or appliances that don't work properly are things that you will be aware of and can take care of at once. |
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| But being confronted by a lengthy list of items brought to light by the inspection, the buyers may decide against proceeding with the purchase. This is doubly true if your listing is competing against new construction in the area. |
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| Since the money will have to be spent anyway, doing the repairs in advance will insure that the sale proceeds smoothly, without maintenance snags. |
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| Structural Inspections |
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| Your own pre-purchase inspection looks good and you think you're ready to buy, but you need a professional opinion as well. Structural inspection by a qualified expert is crucial to avoid nasty surprises after the sale. |
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| The structural inspection examines a home from top to bottom: wiring, plumbing, heating/cooling systems, roof, gutters, basement and foundation. All are examined and are the nuts and bolts of the report. |
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| Accompanying the inspector during their job will be an opportunity to locate water shut-off points, fuse panels, and access doors and so on. The report itself will be important in forming a long-term plan for preventative maintenance, and a budget for repair and/or replacement of major appliances and structural components. |
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| This report could form part of your offer to purchase and your Realtor® will have a list of qualified firms who can do the job for you. Their bill for the service is money well spent to insure against disappointment in what may well be the most important purchase of your life. |
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| What Type of Inspection Do I Need ? |
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| There are different types of inspections and inspectors. You may require an inspector to inspect merely the building itself, or the scope of inspection may go far beyond the structure and integrity of the building. |
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| You may want reassurance from an environmental specialist. In some locations there may be concerns about the house being built over a fault line or about the purity and amount of water available, or general contamination by radon, lead (either industrial waste or contained in peeling paint), asbestos or toxic molds. |
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| The decision of what type of specialized inspector you might wish to hire will vary from location to location. Your Realtor is in a good position to know of any problems that have turned up in other sales in the area so be sure to ask if they would recommend any particular type of inspection. |
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