Henderson, Nevada 89074, United States
Las Vegas Home Inspections: The Ultimate Guide
What Las Vegas Home Buyers Need to Know About Home Inspections
When buying a home here is what you will need to know about home inspections:
How to Pick a Home Inspector
It is easy to see why picking the right home inspector is important. You want to know that the home you are buying is something you will be satisfied with.
Here are a few pointers to consider in your search for a home inspector:
- Get a reference from your real estate agent.
- Look for a company that is bonded and insured.
- Verify that the inspection company only does inspections – not home repairs and renovations.
- Find out what the inspection includes and how long it takes.
- Get references.
- Verify that you can accompany the inspector while he or she goes through the home.
- Request a sample inspection report.
- Compare the cost of hiring different companies.
- See if you can find an inspector with experience in the type of home you are looking at.
- Choose an ASHI certified or InterNACHI inspector. These are highly respected organizations that offer inspectors higher levels of training and certifications.
Questions for Home Inspectors
When the home inspector finishes looking at the home you are planning on buying; you will need to ask him or her some questions. Hopefully, you will have lots of questions. Of course, it can be helpful to know what questions are important for buyers to ask a home inspector. Here is a list of summary questions and short explanations about each. Notice some of these things should be asked before the inspection takes place and others after completion.
- How much does the home inspection cost?
- What is covered in the home inspection?
- How is the home inspection done?
- Can you explain this to me? Home inspectors should be glad to explain their observations.
- How big a problem is this? You need perspective on what issues are most pressing.
- Do I need an expert to look at this problem? Diagnosing issues sometimes requires more specific expertise.
- Is this problem normal? You want to know if a problem is common in most homes or more unusual.
- Can you advise me on things I should fix when I move into the home?
- Some problems are better off addressed immediately when you move in.
What Las Vegas Sellers Need to Know About Home Inspections
When selling a home here is what you will need to know about home inspections:
How to Prepare for a Home Inspection
- The first rule for every home inspection is: Do not try to conceal any defects you know are in the home.
- The home inspector will find them anyway, and you will possibly be breaking the law.
- Now that you have that rule down, here are some more ways you can be ready for the buyer’s home inspection:
- If you have moved out of the house make sure the power remains on.
- Make sure all light bulbs are working by changing them before the inspection. The inspector will want to be able to view all areas of your home.
- Also, he or she won’t need additional time to see if the receptacle is not working or if it is just a blown light bulb.
- Thin out your closets of clothes so the inspector can see inside them.
- Remove items away from basement walls so they can be inspected for cracks and water penetration areas.
- If there is access to the attic in a closet, make sure it is accessible.
- Change the filters to your furnace and leave any service tags so the inspector can see them.
- If your home is vacant, make sure the power is on, and there is fuel so that the systems can be inspected.
- Keep in mind that the home inspection is one of the most significant hurdles for a seller to clear. It is vital to make sure your house does not have any glaring defects. Do what you can to make this part of the transaction go smoothly.
Pros and Cons of a Pre-Listing Home Inspection:
Pre-listing home inspections are becoming more common because they give sellers extra control over a sale. Understand the condition of your home before the buyer’s home inspection takes place is worthwhile. The expense is minimal compared to dealing with problems you didn’t know about or worse lose the sale.
Of course, there are pros and cons you need to consider.
PROS of Having a Home Inspection Before Selling:
- You find out what condition your home is in.
- Pricing the home accurately is much easier.
- Minimize stress.
- You can make repairs.
- Less likelihood of negotiations.
- Help improve the buyer’s confidence.
- Make your real estate agents job easier.
CONS of Having a Home Inspection Before Selling:
- You will have to pay for the pre-listing inspection.
- Disclosure laws may require you to disclose any issues.
- There will be two inspections of your home.
Las Vegas Builder Inspection
Buying a new home is an exciting experience with the opportunity to pick out paint colors and floor coverings. In all the excitement of figuring out where the furniture will go and your new route to work, don’t forget to get your new home inspected by Gondek Home Inspection.
Reasons to Get a Home Inspection on a New Home:
There are important reasons why new home buyers should always get a home inspection on a new home before purchasing.
1. New construction homes have all sorts of problems. Building a home is a complex orchestration involving many different subcontractors and their employees each working on a different system of the house usually without regard to the other house systems. With all the separate activities occurring at the same time, it is nearly impossible for the builder to carefully check all phases of construction. Even the best builders will likely miss something. Here are some examples of problems in newly built homes:
· Broken roof trusses
· Missing siding
· Ducts completely unattached to the heating and air conditioning unit
· Missing insulation in homes being sold as Energy Star energy-efficient homes
· Organic growth on crawl space wood framing
· Raised roof shingles allowing water to penetrate underneath the shingles
2. Municipal building inspections are not the same as home inspections. The job of municipal building inspectors is to check for compliance with applicable building codes. Building codes are minimum standards. While most municipal building inspectors are doing their best, factors beyond their control prevent these inspections from being enough.
3. Problems found before you buy can be fixed before moving in to your new home. You won’t have to deal with the dust and noise from repairs, or the inconvenience of having to stay home from work while workers are in your house. While there will likely be some minor touch-ups that will need to take place after you move in, you will want the builder to fix any significant repairs right away.
4. Defects can be repaired before they result in serious consequences or costly damage. Safety items such as gas leaks need to be addressed to protect you and your family. Missing attic insulation that will result in higher utility bills can be installed. Raised shingles which can lead to rotted roof sheathing can be repaired before purchasing your new home.
5. It matters at resale. When you decide to sell your formerly new home, the buyer will likely get a home inspection. Deficiencies that date back to the original construction will be discovered even if you never knew they existed. At this point, it’s too late to get the builder involved. You now own those problems.
The Good News is that hiring Gondek Home Inspector to inspect your new dream home can pay for itself many times over both monetarily and with peace of mind. You can feel confident that problems are identified and corrected early before you buy your home.