logo
g Text Version
Auto
Beauty & Self
Books & Music
Career
Computers
Education
Family
Food & Wine
Health & Fitness
Hobbies & Crafts
Home & Garden
Money
News & Politics
Relationships
Religion & Spirituality
Society & Culture
Sports
Travel & Leisure
TV & Movies

dailyclick
Bored? Games!
Postcards
Astrology
Take a Quiz
Rate My Photo

new
Journals
Folklore and Mythology
Business Coach
Marriage
Senior Living
Ethnic Beauty
Adolescence


dailyclick
All times in EST

Autism Spectrum Disorders: 4:00 PM

Full Schedule
g
g Home Ownership Site
Rose Mary
BellaOnline's Home Ownership Editor

g

Home Inspection Equals Peace of Mind
Guest Author - Katie Murphy

Whether you are buying a resale or building a new home, I urge you to use the services of a home inspector, even if you haven’t noticed any problem with the home.
When you are purchasing an existing home, make sure the contract states: “purchase is contingent upon home inspection.” Also make sure the contract specifies enough time after the contract is executed, to engage the services of a professional home inspector.
Talk to your real estate agent about how to handle this, but under-no-circumstances should you purchase a home without an home inspection.
In the case of new home sales, builders sometimes tell buyers they don’t need an inspection because the place has been inspected by them and, oh-by-the-way, you have a warranty if anything goes wrong.
No home is built flawlessly. It is a complex task, which is completed with contractors of varying skill and quality-control levels.
First of all, warranties are limited in time and scope. Also, you may be in trouble if the builder or warranty company goes under. Closely check your warranty contract to see what's covered and your reporting obligations.
You will want to get your inspection done soon, but not too soon. You want to give the home a little time to “settle” before you have the inspection because not all problems will show up immediately. Also, keep in mind to check all the systems because depending on the time of year, you may not have had the opportunity to use some of the amenities like heat or air conditioning. A home warranty should certainly never be good for less than a year, so consider having the inspection eight-to-ten months after you close.
Problems such as bad venting, inadequate grounding of electrical outlets, roof defects, drainage problems and construction-code violations are often undetectable to the untrained eye, yet they can come back to bite you when it's time to sell.
I work with reputable home inspectors and I have never heard of any new home or resale not having at least a few issues. Even if your inspector finds nothing, you will have peace of mind, which is priceless.
If you purchased a new home, make sure you request a builder-warranty inspection because that may dictate who is best suited for your particular job. Inspectors can usually offer suggestions on the best ways to get warranty problems resolved.
Whether you are buying a new home, a fairly new home or a turn-of-the-century home, spend the money for an home inspection. You will be glad you did.



RSS | Related Articles | Previous Features | Site Map

Add Home+Inspection+Equals+Peace+of+Mind to Twitter Add Home+Inspection+Equals+Peace+of+Mind to Facebook Add Home+Inspection+Equals+Peace+of+Mind to MySpace Add Home+Inspection+Equals+Peace+of+Mind to Del.icio.us Digg Home+Inspection+Equals+Peace+of+Mind Add Home+Inspection+Equals+Peace+of+Mind to Yahoo My Web Add Home+Inspection+Equals+Peace+of+Mind to Google Bookmarks Add Home+Inspection+Equals+Peace+of+Mind to Stumbleupon Add Home+Inspection+Equals+Peace+of+Mind to Reddit


Content copyright © 2009 by Katie Murphy. All rights reserved.
This content was written by Katie Murphy. If you wish to use this content in any manner, you need written permission. Contact Rose Mary for details.

g


For FREE email updates, subscribe to the Home Ownership Newsletter


Past Issues


print
Printer Friendly
bookmark
Bookmark
tell friend
Tell a Friend
forum
Forum
email
Email Editor

g features
New Deed for Lease Program

Home Buyer's Tax Credits - Update

Factors Affecting Home Value

Archives | Site Map

forum
Forum
email
Contact

Past Issues
memberscenter

jobs
what
job title, keywords
where
city, state or zip
jobs by job search


vote
Growing a Garden
Veggies and Flowers
Veggies Only
Flowers Only
No Garden

g


| About BellaOnline | Privacy Policy | Advertising | Become an Editor |
Website copyright © 2009 Minerva WebWorks LLC. All rights reserved.


BellaOnline Editor