Importance Of A Home Inspection

When you get ready to buy your new home, there are things that you may not be able to control, but knowing about potential problems is a must!! Buying a home is the biggest investment people will make in their lifetimes, and you want to make sure that you get your home checked out by a licensed home inspector before you go to the closing table. Basically, every home needs a home inspection. Whether it is a new construction home or an existing home for sale. You may think that new construction homes don't need an inspection, however, during the building process, their is ALWAYS room for human error and problems can be found, or a new product that has been installed may be faulty. In an existing home, you will always find items that need to be repaired. This is typical since every home has "wear and tear" from the previous owners. In Onslow county, the average home inspection costs between $180 - $250. The home inspector typically needs a week notice to allow fitting your inspection into their schedule. Once the inspection is done, turn around time is typically 2 days and a full report will be given to you with the findings. Below are 12 items that HouseMaster says are most serious home defects to watch out for:

1. Cracked heater exchange
2. Failing air-conditioning compressor
3. Enviornmental hazards such as radon, water contamination, asbestos, lead paint and under ground storage tanks
4. Moisture in the basement (not common in our area)
5. Defective roofing and/or flashing
6. Insect infestation - termites or carpenter ants
7. Mixed plumbing
8. Aluminum wiring
9. Horizontal foundation cracks
10. Major house settlement
11. Undersized electrical system
12. Chimney settling or separation

Many of these problems can be repaired, however, depending on how much damage there is, it can be costly. In the Jacksonville, NC market we are able to ask the seller in a Repair Request to fix items that are important to the home buyer. The seller has the right to NOT fix anything, and run the risk of loosing their potential buyer. In our contracts, we have a due diligence period that gives the home buyer a time period to get all of their needed inspections done on the property and to ask for any repairs that they would like to get done. If the seller will not fix items that the buyer MUST have done, the buyer is then able to get released from the contract and walk away with their Earnest Money Deposit. This can only happen if everything is done within that "Due Diligence Period." If the home buyer does not accomplish everything during this period, then they must remain in their contract regardless of the findings. The due diligence clause is there to protect home buyers. The Realtor's job is make sure all inspections get done within the time frame to assure there buyer is protected. You need to protect your investment. A home inspection is a great place to start, and having a good Realtor is a must to make sure you are being taken care of.

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I represent home buyers and look out for their best interests. My interests DO NOT lie with the builder or seller of these homes. I do however have all of the needed materials such as floor plans, plot maps, features, neighborhood videos, etc. I work for you!! Please read how I can represent you in the purchase of your new home.