Tampa Home Inspection

 Put our experience and knowledge to work on your next home purchase. Hiring another inspector is a RED FLAG you cannot afford to miss!

You’ll have a chance to explore your new home further and ask your inspector questions as you go. Seeing the home inspection process can be much more informative than reading the report on its own. And it can give you some perspective on how major or minor each issue is. It’s in your interest as a home seller to provide quick and easy access to everything on that home inspection checklist. Here are some ways you can help: Make sure all pilot lights are on for fireplaces and furnaces, even in summer, so the inspector can check the heating and other appliances Tidy your basement. There needs to be an unobstructed path down the steps and through to your furnace/HVAC unit/water heater and anything else that needs inspecting Tidy your attic same as your basement Clean up key areas in your yard so the inspector can easily access your crawl space, drainage access points, or septic tank If the home is vacant and the utilities have been shut off, have them reconnected Being helpful won’t necessarily buy you a better report, but even professionals appreciate thoughtfulness.

A buyer’s inspection occurs after you’ve accepted a buyer’s offer but before closing the sale. After a home inspection, the buyer may be able to renegotiate their offer or request repairs if certain issues come up. In some cases, the buyer may walk away from the purchase if the home inspection reveals more issues than they’re willing to deal with. One other important distinction, mortgage lenders do not require a home inspection for buyers to obtain a home loan. The lender typically orders the appraisal, but requesting a home inspection is the buyer’s choice, and it’s highly recommended. Though many buyers choose to include an inspection contingency, the number often depends on the current market. According to the 2021 REALTORS® Confidence Index Survey, in July 2021, 27% of buyers waived the inspection contingency compared to 19% in December of 2021.

Thomas Day, a top real estate agent who sells homes 39% faster than average in Pompano Beach, Florida, is always at the inspection when working with clients regardless of whether they are a buyer or seller. “If I’m working with the buyer, we can see first hand what the problem is. If I’m working with the seller, I know exactly what he’s looking at and can either rebut it or find an expert,” Day says. “Sometimes the house is crowded. Sometimes the inspector and the agent are the only ones there.” In addition, consider if you were the buyer. You would want to feel comfortable talking openly with the inspector you hired, and ask frank questions about the condition of the home. If, as a seller, you order a pre-listing home inspection, the inspector is working for you and you should absolutely be there. We’ll address pre-listing inspections later.

Home Inspection

Before you buy a home, one of the things you should do is to have it checked out by a professional home inspector. Yes, we can hear your objection: "Buying a home is expensive enough as it is! Why would I choose to fork over hundreds more if I'm not required to?" In this article, we'll delve into what a home inspection can reveal and whether it's worth hiring an inspector as a homebuyer.

In some cases, the homebuyer may be displeased with the service the home inspector provided. Often in these situations, the homebuyer is left feeling that crucial defects or details were missed during the inspection process or left out of the inspection report. ASHI always suggests that the homebuyer should contact their home inspector and explain the concerns they have with the home inspection report. Sometimes, it may turn out to be a simple misunderstanding, with the inspector providing further explanation clarifying the issue. In many states, home inspectors are licensed and follow the regulations put forth by their state. If the homebuyer is not able to resolve their dissatisfaction with the home inspector directly, they are encouraged to contact their state governing body for information on how to proceed.

 Put our experience and knowledge to work on your next home purchase. Hiring another inspector is a RED FLAG you cannot afford to miss!

Full inspection: A full walk-through is performed of the completed home. Inspectors vary in experience, ability, and thoroughness, but a good inspector should examine certain home components and then produce a report covering their findings. The typical inspection lasts two to three hours, and you should be present for the inspection to get a firsthand explanation of the inspector's findings and, if necessary, ask questions. Also, any problems the inspector uncovers will make more sense if you see them in person instead of relying solely on the snapshot photos in the report.

The inspector will look at your HVAC system to estimate the age of the furnace and air conditioner, determine if they function properly, and recommend repairs or maintenance. An inspector can also give you an idea of the age of the home's ducting, whether it might have leaks, if your home has sufficient insulation to minimize your energy bills and whether there is any asbestos insulation. The home inspector will identify the age of the heater and determine if it is properly installed and secured. The inspector will also let you know what kind of condition it is in and give you a general idea of how many years it has left. The inspector will sometimes check kitchen appliances that come with the home to make sure they work, but these are not always part of the inspection. If you think you'll want to keep them, be sure to ask which ones are omitted so that you can test them yourself. The inspector will make sure the laundry room is properly vented. A poorly maintained dryer-exhaust system can be a serious fire hazard.

For example, if the report noted the HVAC system was 15 years old and used an inefficient blower, you’ll know to start planning ahead for replacing the system in the next few years. If you’d like to buy a home warranty to protect systems in your home, your home inspection could help you decide what level of protection to buy. Some warranties let you choose which systems in your home to protect. Your inspection should show your home’s most vulnerable systems. My inspection report lists dozens of defects! What should I do? Most reports list dozens of defects. Some defect lists run into three figures. That’s because there’s no such thing as a perfect home, especially if the property is a few decades old. Don’t worry too much about the length of the inspector’s list of problems; instead, pay attention to the severity of the problems. Many issues, such as loose doorknobs or cracks in the paved driveway, will be so minor you won’t bother fixing them right away, even though you know they’re there.

Home Inspector

The inspector will check for damaged or missing siding, cracks, and whether the soil is in excessively close contact with the bottom of the house, which can invite wood-destroying insects. However, the pest inspector (yes, you might want to engage one of those too), not the home inspector, will check for actual damage from termites, etc. The inspector will let you know which problems are cosmetic and which could be more serious.If the foundation is not visible, and it usually is not, the inspector will not be able to examine it directly. Still, they can check for secondary evidence of foundation issues, like cracks or settling.

If the home has an attached garage, the inspector will make sure the wall has the proper fire rating and hasn't been damaged in any way that would compromise its fire rating. They will also test the home's smoke detectors. The inspector will check for visible leaks, properly secured toilets, adequate ventilation, and other issues. If the bathroom does not have a window or a ventilation fan, mold and mildew can become problems, and moisture can warp wood cabinets over time. A home inspector can't tell the future. When you buy a home, especially an older home, be prepared for unexpected problems to crop up over the years that were not mentioned during the initial home inspection. A home inspection can't identify everything that might be wrong with the property; it only checks for visual cues to problems. For example, if the home's doors do not close properly, or the floors are slanted, the foundation might have a crack, but if the crack can't be seen without pulling up all the flooring in the house, a home inspector can't tell you for sure if it's there.