So you’ve found your dream home and you’re excited to buy it. The description fits what you wanted: three bedrooms, a spacious garage and a nice yard your wife can display her gardening skills. You’re ready to jump in the process of bidding and have your potential home pre-inspected. But before you place your bid or calling in the pros, we recommend you do your own inspection. Why? Read on.
Doing your own avoids the frustration on paying extensively after bidding on a house with so many flaws you weren’t able to spot. While this process does not replace the role of an official home inspector, this helps you filter out the best when it comes to hunting homes. And you can do it easily with a property inspection software.
What You’ll Need
The property’s agency may have a ready printout on the place; take one of that so you can remember the details stated about the home. This includes the number of rooms, property taxes, and the things you may have the chance to enjoy when your bid wins. That is, if you still prefer to bid after your own inspection.
On your next visit to the property you think has real potential, it’s important to get down to the nitty gritty and get a good look at it. Bring a flashlight, a tape measure (to see if the dimensions stated are correct), a marble (to check that the foundation is not tilted) and a pocket knife. And about jotting down notes and taking pictures, just bring your own smartphone armed with a property inspection app like SnapInspect, and make sure that you’re on a wide-eye hunt for spotting the defects.
Observing the Property’s Defects
Remember that the things you will check will be thoroughly examined by an official house inspector. If you happen to face a feature of the property that you do not understand, might as well move on and leave it to the pro. However, there are some basic house features that you need to go through to make sure that this property is for the taking.
The issues you should look at are:
- Roofing leaks
- Improper electrical wiring
- Old plumbing
- Improper drainage system
- Foundation cracks from the inside and outside the basement
- Settling problems
- Diagonal cracks in the plaster
Going Through the Working Systems
Electrical, heating and plumbing are at best handled by the expert home inspectors. But there are still some points that you can check with your digital property inspection. For one, having an upgraded electrical system in older homes is possible. However, a property with a vaulted ceiling and slab floor may be tough for the wirings to be replaced. It is good to see if the house has enough outlets; too many devices plugged into extension cords is a hint that the property has inadequate outlet supply.
Check if the heating system provides enough heat. This winter, ask the owner of the house for heating bills and check the name of the fuel supplier for double checking. Do the same with the property’s air conditioning system.
Other Things To Note
Home inspections are done visually in nature, and efficiency is particularly omitted as stated in the ASHI practice standards. There are some tests that is outside the scope of home inspection. However, looking at the property closely allows possible homeowners to reassure themselves if this is the home they would like to buy. Taking note of the house’s features and defects is one way of preventing future home horrors too. Use the property management inspection program that the experts have and discern if this house is for you.
