A home inspection is a very important stage in the home buying process. After the seller accepts your potential offer, it is recommended to hire a certified home inspector to find potential hidden issues and assess the current condition of the home. A home inspection covers the exterior of the home, grading and vegetation, roofing, foundation, attic structure, insulation and ventilation, plumbing, electrical, interior room by room, your HVAC systems, basement and/or crawlspace. A lot of areas that you are not looking at when walking through your potential new home. Although it is not required for the home buyer to be present during the inspection, it is highly recommended. I recommend all clients at least show up at the end of the inspection to personally walk them through the found issues in person to have a better understanding of the home's current condition. Here are a few reasons why buyers should attend the inspection:
1. Buyer's can assure they're getting their money's worth
If clients are present, they can see if the inspector is rushing through the inspection or actually doing a thorough job. The average inspection typically takes 2-4 hours when done properly. With a proper inspection, your inspector should be entering the attic and/or crawlspace - as long as they are safely accessible - and not just taking a quick peak in the access doors and calling it good. A lot of the major issues can e found in the crawlspace or attic so you want to see that your inspector is providing the professional service that you expect.
2. The inspector can show you and explain the issues in person
One huge benefit to attending the inspection is the home inspector can explain to you the issues face to face. After the physical home inspection, the inspector fills out the issues in a detailed report but sometimes issues may seem more serious than they actually are. If you attend the inspection, the inspector can explain to #homebuyers exactly whats going on with certain issues and tell you how serious the problem actually is or how expensive or inexpensive the repair could be. This limits any confusion between the buyer, realtor, inspector, and seller.
3. If buyers have specific concerns
When first speaking to a client, I always try to ask if they have any special concerns that they may have noticed when they looked at the home? Do they have pets or children? Is anyone elderly/handicapped? These questions are asked so I can know to look for possible safety hazards or other issues. But sometimes the buyers have not yet had the chance to see the home for themselves, so by being present during the home inspection and something catches there eye, the certified and trained home inspector is there to answer or give his/her professional opinion.
Even beyond the reason listed here, there are all kinds of reasons why you should attend the home inspection of your potential future home. A new home is a huge investment and you want to know what your getting into.