14
Dec
It surprises many people to learn that a house inspection is not required when you purchase a house in the state of Washington. While you are not obligated to book this service, most homeowners do hire a certified home inspector and there are several reasons why we recommend booking this crucial service.
1. Inspections Ensure You Understand The Home’s Condition
Whether you are purchasing a home that is 100 years old or a year old, booking a house inspection is a good idea. While the home might be clean and staged to perfection, there are likely a few issues that you can’t simply see during a cursory walkthrough and a professional house inspection can uncover any potential problems.
After all, homebuyers don’t typically check out the crawl space or attic and they don’t test all of the faucets and electrical outlets during their house viewings. They don’t check inside the chimneys or evaluate the HVAC system. An inspector will look at all of these things and many more to determine if there are issues that need to be addressed.
Even a new home can have problems that aren’t visible to most homeowners. While you might think brand-new construction ensures that the home is in perfect condition, this isn’t always the case and it’s best to have a true understanding of the condition of any home you wish to purchase. In general, you will feel much more secure about the home-buying process if you schedule a professional home inspection.
2. Inspectors Can Find Critical Safety Issues
Most homebuyers aren’t electricians or chimney experts, and these are two huge areas of concern. During the home inspection, we will provide a thorough assessment of the electrical system and the chimney, which are two areas of particular importance as these issues can cause fires.
Additionally, we can assess the safety of exterior structures such as stairs and decks. While these structures might have been cleaned up and even painted, this doesn’t necessarily mean they are safe and up to code. Of course, we will inspect the entire structure to look for any types of settlement or structural issues, which can be very costly to fix.
3. House Inspections May Help With Negotiations
Before you enter into escrow, we highly recommend asking your real estate agent to include an inspection contingency in the contract. This allows the buyer to schedule an inspection (by an agreed-upon time) to determine that all of the home’s components are evaluated, including the electrical system, plumbing system, roof, etc.
If the home inspection comes back with many serious issues, the buyers have the option to walk away without any financial penalty. Of course, the buyers also can use the information to negotiate the purchase price or ask that certain repairs are made before the sale. You also can negotiate to receive money after the sale is complete to pay for repairs after escrow closes.
4. Inspections Help You Plan Your Home’s Future
In some cases, while the home or its components might be in good shape, the inspector can provide you with some insights about what to expect in the future. For instance, perhaps the water heater is working properly, but it’s an older model. The inspector could let you know that it likely will function only for two or three more years.
Likewise, perhaps the roof is in good condition, but it may be old enough that it likely will have some problems in the next three or four years. Perhaps the windows are in good shape, but the inspector notes that the frames will need to be sanded and repainted soon, etc.
With home ownership, repairs are a reality, but an inspector can give you an idea of how much longer an appliance or structure will likely remain in good shape so you can save and plan accordingly.
What To Expect From A Home Inspection
As licensed home inspectors, we provide a 100% guarantee for our house inspection services. We encourage homeowners to accompany us during the inspection and plan for this process to take several hours, depending on the size of the home and age of the home. Older homes and larger homes will take more time to evaluate.
Our home inspection services including evaluating the following components:
- Roof – We inspect gutters, roof coverings, downspouts and look for leaks and possible water damage
- Attic – We check the insulation and ventilation and check for rodent damage, mold, etc.
- Drainage & Grading – We check to see that water is draining properly away from the home
- Basement & Foundation – We will inspect the crawl space or basement to determine the health of the foundation
- Interior – This includes inspecting windows, doors, flooring, built-in appliances & more
- Plumbing – We check sinks, faucets, shut-off valves & more
- Electrical – We’ll check the service drop, mast, meter & base, grounding, outlets & more
- Heating & Cooling – We inspect all major heating & cooling systems
- Garage – We will inspect garage doors and the general condition of this space
Additional Inspections To Consider
While our home inspections include many elements, there are a few other inspections that are recommended. A sewer scope inspection can be a great way to evaluate the health of the entire plumbing system.
With this inspection, we run a camera through the main sewer lines to see if roots or other debris might be blocking the pipes or beginning to break through the pipes. This inspection also can determine if the plumbing was installed correctly or repaired incorrectly.
If there are sewer line issues, it’s always best to know this in advance and this information definitely can help with price negotiations as plumbing and sewer issues are costly to fix.
For older homes, built before the 1990s, it can be smart to schedule asbestos testing, as this is known to be a carcinogen and often was used for insulation. Air quality testing also can be a good idea if the initial home inspection finds evidence of mold or if you have family members with health issues. Infrared testing also can be used to find hidden sources of mold or damp rot in the walls. We can provide all of these services in addition to our regular house inspection services.
If the home includes an inground swimming pool and/or spa, we also recommend having this structure inspected. You will want to have the pool checked for leaks, but it’s also
wise to have an inspector look at all of the pool equipment to ensure it is working properly.
Schedule A House Inspection Today!
The team at Titan Inspection Services is always here to help with house inspections, sewer scope inspections and thermal imaging services. We serve the entire Seattle metro area but can travel to any place in the state of Washington, if needed, from Bellingham to Spokane to Vancouver.
Our home inspection costs vary depending on the size of the home. Our costs range from $300 for condos up to $700 for homes larger than $7,000 square feet. If you need an inspection for a multiple-family property, we charge $400 for the first unit and $75 for each additional unit up to four units. We also offer $50 off if you schedule a house inspection and a sewer scope inspection. If you have a larger multi-family complex or need a commercial property inspection, contact us at (206) 260-0314 for pricing.
We are available for a house inspection seven days a week, and our offices are open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Once we inspect your home or commercial property, we will quickly provide you with a comprehensive report that explains all of our findings in detail providing you with the peace of mind of knowing all of the facts about the property you wish to purchase.