Your offer was accepted!! Congratulations! Now that your dream home is under contract, you now have to set up the home inspection. This is something that you want to do as quickly as possibly since your probably have a due diligence(the time to do your home work) built into your contract. But where do you start?
- Ask for recommendations from your realtor. He or she should have 3-4 that they have worked with before that are tried and true.
- Qualifications-Find out what is included in your home inspection. Some home inspections include a termite inspection and some don’t. Was the home built during a specific time that would warrant specific certifications or specialties? These are questions that you will want to ask when interviewing a home inspector.
- Sample reports- You can ask for sample reports so that you will know what to expect and how thoroughly they will be inspecting. Some companies may have a brochures and websites with videos. The more detailed they are the better.
- Memberships-Inspectors that belong to national and state associations are often required to meet certain minimum standards when it comes to continued training and education.
- Errors and Omissions Insurance- Find out what the liability of the inspector or inspection company is once they complete the inspection. We are all human and there is a possibility that they could miss something.
Once you get the report back, don’t panic! It is the inspectors job to uncover EVERYTHING! Sit down with your real estate agent and go over the big ticket items and what is most important to you. Most things that come up on an inspection report can be easily handled after the home is yours and your real estate agent probably has a list of contractors to help if it is our of your area of expertise.