Buying a home can be one of the most exciting purchases you ever make. Purchasing a home elicits an array of emotions including, excitement, stress, fear, and fulfillment. Once you’ve found the perfect home, you may want to proceed with the transaction as quickly as possible to reach the fulfillment stage; however, here are three reasons why you must insist on a home inspection.
Get Educated
One of the major reasons that it’s so important to have an inspection is to become educated on the physical status of the home. On the surface, the home looks perfect: beautiful paint color, new carpet, white kitchen cabinets, etc. However, an inspection goes beyond the outward appearance and looks at the physical structure of the home: plumbing leaks, roofing problems, drafty windows and doors, high radon levels and more. A home inspector can crawl into the attic and see things your eyes aren’t trained to notice. By understanding the real condition of the home, you’ll be able to decide whether the necessary repairs are worth the time and money. You’ll also be able to negotiate with the seller on what items need to be fixed before you finalize the purchase.
Save Money
A typical home inspection costs the buyer anywhere from $300 – $500. While it may seem like a good idea to skip this expense, a few hundred dollars is a lot less to spend than $10,000 for a leaky roof. An inspection is also helpful in identifying future maintenance costs. For example, if you’re purchasing an older home, you may need to replace a furnace or air conditioner unit fairly soon. Both of these items average around $3,000 – $4,000. It’s beneficial to know what maintenance costs you need to expect in the next few years.
Be Protected
Another important reason to have an inspection is to guarantee your safety. Purchasing a home that has major structural problems, electrical issues, or radon problems is dangerous. If you’re going to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a new home, you should do all that is necessary to understand the true condition of the home you are purchasing.
Purchasing a home is exciting and fulfilling. Even if you’ve fallen in love with a home and want to purchase it immediately, be sure to keep your emotions in check and order a home inspection first.
