A thorough home inspection provides homebuyers with a full understanding of the condition of the priority prior to finalizing a sale. Because the inspection report reflects a home’s current state, it is important buyers attend the inspection to have a basic understanding of what to expect from the process.

Here are a few expected outcomes from a home inspection:

  1. There will likely be some issues

No home is perfect, and an inspection will likely uncover issues. Most issues are not critical and can be easily addressed. A few, however, may require some serious consideration of whether to walk away from the home. A reliable home inspector will help identify the severity of issues, and the order they should be tackled.  

  1. Inspection reports can only suggest repairs

Home inspections provide a homebuyer with insight on the condition of a home, but the seller is not actually required to make any repairs. Instead, the home inspection report is used during price negotiations. Both parties work to settle on how to address any needed repairs.

  1. Inspectors cannot predict the future

A thorough home inspection will uncover current issues in a home, as well as the condition of major fixtures such as the roof or furnace, but it cannot provide a precise timeline of when items may break or give out. Inspection reports provide the homebuyer with an educated guess of rough estimates for shelf life and maintenance based on current conditions.

  1. Most problems can be fixed

As mentioned, no home is ever perfect, and almost any situation can be addressed. Homebuyers must consider the severity of each issue and how to best address it. Sometimes that means taking it upon themselves to make repairs, while other times reasonable requests can be made of the seller during negotiations.

Common household issues uncovered during the inspection include roofing problems, inefficient windows or doors, deficient heating systems and plumbing defects. In addition to an inspection report listing out all findings, homebuyers who attend the inspection have the added benefit of asking the inspector questions at the time of the findings, including suggestions for repair or maintenance.

For more assistance, go to www.wini.com to find your local home inspector.