Home Inspections and Specialised Inspectors
When you are buying a new home it is always advisable to have a house inspection conducted, to ensure there are no problems with the house that you may have to deal with later on. Your estate agent will usually advise you to have a home inspection done, and can often help you to find someone that is reputable and experienced. A general home inspector will go through the entire of your new home, inspecting the roof of the house along with the basement, the central heating system, the water heater, the air-conditioning system, the plumbing, all the electrical elements of the house and the overall structure and quality of the house. Once they have completed their investigation they will present to the buyers of the property a report that concludes the home inspectors findings. This report will explain the condition of the house as it is currently, furthermore it will state if there will need to be any further investigations conducted on the house. A home inspector may not be able to provide you with all the information that you need, and they may not be able to fully check some things as it may be out of their area, for example if the home inspector identifies a problem with mold, they will not be able to tell what the extent of the problem is and how to get rid of it, instead they will refer you to a specialist and you will need to have a report made by them. Here are some of the specialists that you could possibly have to bring in to further inspect your new home:• Roof inspector: If the roof of your new home is particularly old or looks like it is in need of repair you may need to get a roof inspector to check the roof and give you a roof certification.• Chimney inspector: If the chimney is blocked or is crumbling you may need to get a chimney inspector out to ascertain whether it can be used and if it needs fixing or cleaning.• Pest inspection (in particular wood-eating pests). If the home inspector suspects that you have wood damaging pests within the woodwork of your new house you will have to have a pest inspector out. The pest inspector will tell you what pests you have living in your home and what damage has been caused by these pests, if they have eaten through supporting beams etc, the inspector will inform you that these will need replacing. And will advise you on how to rid the house of pests. • Mold Inspector: A home inspector can highlight mold, but only a mold inspector can tell you the extent of the mold, whether it is treatable and if so, how. • Electrical inspector: If any wiring or electrical boxes looks faulty or damaged they may need to be checked by a professional, and maybe fixed or replaced. • Central heating specialist • Air conditioning specialist• Plumber: to check water system and quality of the pipes• Foundation Engineer: will be needed if the building is slanting, is raised up or has an unconventional foundation. • Sewer Inspector• Soil inspector (for home on hillsides-to check the stability of the ground)• Asbestos specialist• Lead-Based paint specialist• Mitigation Contractor-to test for methane gas or radon. If there is anything that needs doing to the property it either needs to be done by the current owners, or you need to take into account when placing an offer of the money it is going to cost you to get the house in a livable state of repair, and whether you are prepared to take on that work load.