This is an absolutely critical part of the home buying process.
It doesn’t matter if the home is brand new still in the shrink wrapper, or 100 years old – you need to have it Professionally Inspected.
I don’t care if your
father’s brother’s nephew’s cousin’s former roommate
“knows all about houses”.
Professionals do a professional job. Yes, they cost money. They are 100% worth it.
But they are surprisingly affordable for the level of knowledge, speed, and thoroughness they bring.
Typically we see inspection periods between 7 – 14 days in the contract.
We might be able to extend that time if we really need to. But we really don’t want to.
So when we make an offer, you need an inspector lined up and ready to go!
If that offer is accepted, the clock starts ticking.
Loudly.
Find an Inspection Company that meets your criteria. Do it now (well, I’ll give you a couple of days!)
Here are some criteria to consider:
- Cost
- Lead time for scheduling (If they are booked a month out, that’s not going to work for us, ya’ know?)
- Thoroughness of the inspection
- How they deliver the report
- (PDF with supporting video? Or Stan calls you and says “It’s all good.”)
- How quickly they deliver the report
- Their communication level with you as a potential client.
Specialty Offerings vary wildly, and you may, or may not, actually need them.
For example, if you are totally committed to buying a waterfront property, you will definitely want a seawall expert too.
Figure out now if you’re paranoid about this particular thing, and make sure they offer that! If not, we should line up an expert in that field now too.
- Wood Destroying Organisms (WDO, aka Termite) – *Mandatory for VA Loans
- Pools
- Seawalls
- Plumbing / Scoping all of the lines
- Septic Systems
- Radon (yes, it’s a thing)
- Mold
- Meth (you have seen Breaking Bad, right?)
- Insulation (Drones with Thermal Cameras are awesome!)
- New Construction (just because it’s “new” doesn’t mean the builders did a good job, right?)
- Etc.
You want warm fuzzies all the way around.
Here is my list of outstanding inspectors. Prices vary, but they are generally within a couple of hundred dollars of each other.
When you have selected your preferred inspector, make sure you send me a Message with the name of the Company and/or Contact Person.
You are always free to choose a different vendor than the ones listed.
If they are great, I will happily add them to my list!
Preferred Vendors are simply my favorites,
but there is NEVER any financial consideration
in exchange for business (aka Kick Backs).