Prepare for Your Home Inspection (Not Optional)

Let me start by saying I know you. Yes, I’ve conducted many pre-purchase housing counseling appointments over the years, and not once have I encountered someone who was excited about the home inspection. Usually, when I enquire if a home inspection was conducted or if one is scheduled, it is met with a shrug of the shoulders and a wry smile that tells me they aren’t as enthusiastic about it as they should be. So, let me begin with the barriers to home inspections and why those obstacles need to not only be overcome, but a prospective homeowner should be downright giddy over the home inspection benefits.

1. The first barrier to getting a home inspection is the money. It’s always money! According to Home Advisor the cost for a home inspection Range from $278 – $391. This is an expense that the projected homebuyer needs to pay rather than the seller. Some homebuyers look at it as the same price for a flat screen television or new curtains for living room in the new home. Faced with potential moving expenses, the home inspection cost is seen as a way to save money. This is all wrong!
2. Home buyers are usually pumped to be buying and moving into a new place. They don’t want a buzzkill home inspector to come into the house and tell them why they shouldn’t be excited. That is a misconception.
3. “I’ve been through this house myself. A home inspector isn’t going to tell me anything I don’t already know.” This is also a misconception.

Home inspections are not optional. Let me debunk the protests listed above and look at the significant home inspection benefits that make them essential.

1. The cost is a fraction of the money you are investing in a home. If you purchase a $100,000 home and pay $400 for a home inspection, you are paying 0.4% to protect your investment. In relation to your home investment, the price is very low and not a good place to cut expenses.
2. New home buyers should be excited. It is natural to be excited about purchasing a new home. Use the home inspection as a conduit for your excitement. It is an opportunity to learn more about your new home. You need to be present for a home inspection. Do not schedule your home inspection for a time you cannot attend. If a home inspector doesn’t want you to tag along, don’t hire them. You will learn things about your home such as where emergency shut off valves for water and gas are located and construction details that will be valuable for future maintenance and potential upgrades.
3. Knowledge about your new home will help you love it even more. It will give you piece of mind and eliminate any nagging concerns you may have. Sometimes problems are hidden purposely or as a matter of course. A home inspection should provide you with the confidence you need for what is likely the biggest purchase of your life.

Let me conclude by leaving this here, “You can’t know what you don’t know. You can’t know about things you have yet to discover.” This is one of my favorite quotes by Jonathan Raymond and boy does it apply here to home inspections. Happy house hunting!