Home inspecting is a fun, wild, unpredictable world that I’ve been immersed in for almost 20 years.
Throughout that time, I’ve been asked a lot of questions and seen a lot of things. It’s a process of constant learning and that’s what makes it fun.
There are a few burning questions that have come up that I will take a crack at answering. Probably someone a whole lot smarter can answer better but here it goes.
Can home inspections be done in the rain?
Yes! That is the best time to analyze a home, especially a roof, attic, and foundation. While heavy rain may spur the inspector to speeds he never thought possible when outside, it is a great test for the home. Home inspections, as clearly stated in a contract, are an assessment of the property on the day of inspection. We do not have the gift of prophecy and can’t predict what will happen to your home tomorrow. And while we (me at least) love history, I don’t know how your home responded in the past to different weather events. We can only report what we see while we are there. Sometimes there is evidence of something that happened in the past, but not always. If the inspection is on a sunny day in July, we can’t tell what will happen during a monsoon in early October. This brings me back to the original point, rain during an inspection is a GREAT thing and you should schedule your inspection only when raining. (Just Kidding).
How long do home inspections take?
It depends on how well you want the job done! After 25,000+ inspections companywide the average for a typical sized house (2000 sq ft) is 2 ½-3 hours. Several mitigating factors can adjust that figure. How many attics are there? Have the attic access hatches been screwed, glued, and otherwise made difficult to enter? How old is the house? Older homes take longer. Do I have to move a refrigerator to get to the electrical panel? (Yes, that happened). Is it cluttered or vacant? Is the seller hounding me even after I locked him in the closet (just kidding, didn’t do that but was tempted). Does it have a crawlspace? It is easy or is the inspector fighting space, water, ductwork, spiders, snakes, furry critters, and fear? Are there pets that make life difficult? A small dog in a cage barking incessantly can make any inspector lose his mind. Etc, etc. BTW, anyone (or company) that does inspections in under 1 hour is not doing an inspection you want to pay for. Just sayin’.
Are Home Inspection reports public records?
No. Our contract and report states that the report is the confidential report of the buyer. With their permission, we send the report to their agent so they can work together on negotiations if any are needed. From there, the buyer can do what they want with the report. They can post it on social media (I wouldn’t recommend it) sell it, or give it to someone else if they decide not to buy the home.
Will my home pass or fail?
Home inspectors will not pass or fail a home. The inspection is a primarily visual examination of the home and its components.
We are there to tell you the condition of the different parts of the home and suggest improvements or evaluations by specialists if a certain item is outside our knowledge level. We give you the information and then you decide whether you want to buy the home or not.
Recent Comments