Report Check

Buying a home? Don't forget to have a home inspection done. Some home buyers wonder if the home they are looking to purchase needs to be inspected.

Every home has some issues, what a home inspection does is look for major defects such as faulty wiring or moisture entering the structure. The home inspection will also address items such as inoperable windows and doors along with leaking plumbing fixtures.

Some home buyers think that since the house is newer that it doesn't need a home inspection, this is not true. During a recent Hearth and Homes inspection in Willoughby, Ohio, on a home that was only five years old, we discovered an attic that had no insulation installed. You can imagine what their gas bills were like in the winter. A finding such as this would more than pay for your inspection.

Ohio has no legislation regarding home inspectors, which means that there is no licensing or review board in place, basically, anyone can claim to be a home inspector. This is why it is so important when choosing your home inspector to do your due diligence. Not all homes are the same and not all home inspectors are equal in their knowledge and performance. A good place to start to find out what type of an inspector you will be working with would be to check to see what type of Google reviews the company has. The homebuyer should also make sure that the inspector that they are planning to hire is affiliated with either InterNACHI (the Inter National Association of Certified Home Inspectors) or ASHI (the American Society of Home Inspectors) or more preferably that the inspector is a Certified Master Inspector, you can find an experienced, professional CMI by visiting http://www.certifiedmasterinspector.org/

Homebuyers should plan on accompanying their home inspector during the inspection when possible. This will make it easier for the inspector to explain how certain items function and where items such as water and gas shutoff valves are located. The inspector can also point out defects and the steps needed to correct them. Should you not be able to attend the whole inspection you should at least plan on being at the house towards the end of it so that the inspector can go over with you his findings.

In addition to the home inspection this is the best time to have a radon and WDI (Wood Destroying Insect, termite) inspection done. A common mispeception is that homes that are built on slabs do not need to be tested for radon, but this is not true. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) recommends that every house that is being sold should be tested for radon.