What is a Home Inspection

 

         

What is a Home Inspection

                A pre-purchase home inspection, performed by a Licensed professional Home Inspector, is a visual examination of the readily accessible areas of a home to provide an accurate evaluation of the home's condition at the inspection.  Home inspections are designed to disclose defects in the property that could materially affect its safety, livability, or resale value. They are not meant to disclose cosmetic defects.  The evaluation is presented to the buyer in a comprehensive report, so buyers are fully informed of the home’s condition prior to purchase. 

 

• ·         Will the home inspector discuss the defects only?

A comprehensive inspection should not only bring defects and problem areas to your attention; it should also highlight the positive aspects of a home as well.

 

• ·         How long does an inspection take?

 It depends upon the size of the home and the number of rooms. An average inspection takes about 2½ - 3 hours (1½ - 2 hours for a condo).  The time is well-spent considering there are more than 500 components in the average home and also depending on the number of Bathrooms, kitchens, bedrooms. 

 

• ·         What should my professional home inspection include?

Your professional home inspection should include: 

A.      •  Structural and Foundation 

B.      •  General Construction overall

C.      •  Plumbing 

D.      •  Electrical 

E.       •  Heating and cooling 

F.       •  Roof & Attic

G.      •  Insulation & Ventilation

H.      •  Windows and doors 

I.         •  Kitchen and bathroom  

J.         •  Appliances

K.      •  Interior walls and ceiling 

L.       •  Air conditioning 

M.    •  Basement 

N.     •  Grading and drainage 

O.     •  Gutters and leaders

P.      •  Garages and carports (attached structures)

Q.     •  Patios and decks 

R.      •  Walks and driveways 

Power Washing

 Power Washing

Power Washing it is an important, inexpensive and vital maintenance task for your house. Take care of your driveway, sidewalk and siding and your house will stay clean and fresh for many years.

GFCI Installation

 GFCI Installation

GFCI should be installed in any potentially wet or damp area like bathrooms, kitchens, basement, garage, laundry, exterior and is responsible for saving the life of everyone present in a home by preventing Electrical shocks and electrocution which are a major risk that you can be exposed to through electrical devices at your home.

 

Handrails 

The importance of handrails is generally under the safety hazard defect. By using rails on stairs can stop people from having either minor or many times, major accidents. Stairs than don’t have rails can be dangerous for anyone, especially for children and elder people. Having a rail to support your stairs is now a legal requirement by law, and subjected and under all the building codes as a safety issue. All residential and commercial properties, new or old, single family or multi family, must ensure they have some form of supporting rail.

Rental Inspection

Rental Inspection

 A rental inspection is important as a home inspection because it helps the landlord and tenant identify any pre-existing damages to the rental property. After a rental inspection, damages are being identified and recorded so the landlord can repair any major damages of the property so to provide livable conditions for the tenant or if they are of a minor level, these damages can remain but cannot be charged against the tenant once they move out. Furthermore, a rental inspection, gives to the Landlord the knowledge of the current condition of the property, which providing the ability of a right judgment to take a decision of either properly maintain the property or selling the property according to the current living standards and value of the property.

 

Home Inspections Facts

A Home inspection has to be performed by a licensed professional home inspector; A home inspection is a limited, non-invasive examination of the condition of a home, often in connection with the sale of that home. The result is an analytical home inspection report, which details the current condition of the home and alerts buyers to any major and safety defects. Most buyers request a home inspection when buying a home to identify issues /problems in the house so they can avoid spending more money in unexpected repairs after closing, and to protect themselves from overpaying for the property as well as to identify any major structural issue.

Typically, the buyer pays for their own inspection, and can use a licensed home inspector of their choosing. However, sellers who may be concerned about what might be found in an inspection sometimes opt to pay for their own pre-inspection. Based on the results, you can price your home accordingly, and you won’t be surprised by the results of your buyer’s inspection. Do note that any problems revealed in your pre-inspection must be disclosed to your buyer.

The timeline depends on the market and the contract, but within 5-10 business days of both parties accepting the deal is standard.

Usually, the 5-10 business days allowed in the contract includes both conducting the inspection and requesting any repairs in writing. In a buyers’ market, buyers sometimes have more time, but in a sellers’ market, they usually have to act quickly.

 ABOUT US 

We are a licensed home inspection company based in Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland and we perform home inspections in Maryland, North Delaware and South Pennsylvania. 

We are here to guide you in a correct and a professional procedure of Getting you know your home through our thorough and analytical inspection process before the settlement of your house or before putting your house on sale. 

We perform home inspections because of our construction experience and our love to construct. 

We have Construction experience (New construction & Renovation) on Residential & Commercial buildings for more than 25 years as Construction Managers / Superintendents on:

Residential & mixed used multi-family projects (mid-rise, High-rise, Apartments/flats/condos), Garden or walk-up apartments.

Single-family attached (small multi-family) Duplex/Triplex/Quadplex, semi-detached, Townhouse or terraced house.

Single-family detached (luxury houses).

 

Additional commercial experience on:

Institutional projects, Mixed use structures, Conventional market stores, Pharmacies