Setting Roots

An important part of the home buying process is having an inspection done. Typically, you will have 7-10 business days to have an inspection done once your offer has been accepted. There are several important things you should know about the home inspection.

1. You are entitled to choose your own home inspector. The Real Estate agent may suggest one, but you are NOT obligated to use the one suggested. Choose someone you trust.
2. The seller may have already had an inspection done, but you still have the right to get your own inspection done as well. Do not rely on the inspector that works for the seller, always seek a second opinion.
3. An inspection is NOT an appraisal. The inspector should not tell you what he thinks the home is worth.
4. A good inspector is there just to give you the facts, to find faults, concerns and failures to meet code. He may tell you what needs to be done to correct a deficiency, but a good home inspector should not offer to fix it for you or recommend people to do the work. His job is simply to give you the facts, not refer you to people to correct the deficiencies.

With all that in mind, I would suggest that you accompany the inspector during his inspection. Again, you have the right to be there, and most home inspectors won’t mind having you there or answering your questions. Remember, you get what you pay for, so don’t necessarily rely on the cheapest home inspector. Also, one reason to accompany the home inspector is to trust byt verify. A friend of mine paid $450 for a home inspector to come inspect a prospective purchase. The guy walked through all the rooms, flipped on lights and turned on faucets and said everything was good. Naturally, my friend refused to pay. You want a home inspector to be curious, to dig deep. You WANT the inspector to find faults, so you don’t find them when it is too late… Make sure the inspector tests every electrical outlet, inspects the attic and the roof. If the home you are inspecting includes a pool, be sure that the inspector you choose inspects pools and pool equipment as well.

Finally, remember to take the report with a “grain of salt“. The inspector will find problems with the home. Likely he will find problems that you did not notice… That’s okay. Not all issues are (or should be) deal breakers. You may be willing to over look something minor like a cracked base-board or a leaky faucet. But some thing more serious like improper electrical wiring, or termites should give you pause. If it is correctable, you may ask the seller to have it fixed before you close on the house, or you may decide to call off the deal altogether. Make sure, that when you decide you want to bid on house that you have not “fallen in love with it” to the point that you are willing to over look major defects, shoddy craftsmanship or other problems, because once you buy the home, those problems become YOUR problems.

So I started this site with the intention of keeping it up to date while I was in the process of buying my home. I quickly realized that was not going to be realistic. Especially considering that I am in the Military and my job consumes a large portion of my time. So I completed my home purchase, and I now intend to back fill everyone on the process and what I learned.

Additionally, I will start posting updates about my adventures in being a first time home owner, what I learn as I go, and various projects I start. I look forward to not only being able to help all of you possibly learn from my experiences, but I really look forward to getting advice and tips from  my readers. Buying and owning a home takes a lot of time, patience and money, any tips are welcome.

I am very proud to say that I have already been able to help one of my fellow service-members buy his first home as well. He’s one of my junior guys and needed a lot of help. He clearly had no idea what he was in for when he decided he wanted to buy a home. He thought he’d be able to get it all done in 9 days! That is clearly not realistic… Hopefully I will be able to help some others ease their home buying process, and help them work through any misconceptions they may have.