What you need to know about getting your Cincinnati, OH home inspected. If you are in need of a Cincinnati Home Inspector, reach out to LiteHouse Inspect today!
Home inspections can be nerve-wracking and traumatic, just like going to the doctor or driving a car to the mechanic. When it's your home under the magnifying glass, even a fairly uneventful inspection report can hurt a little.
Breaking news: there is no perfect home.
However, there are steps you can take to prepare yourself (and your home) for the home inspection to minimize unpleasant surprises. The home inspection is not a pass or fail exam. But the possibility of renegotiation is open. You are not obliged to fix anything, but the buyer can walk if he/she is not happy.
The last thing you want to do for these fragile transactions is to not understand what you are getting into with a home inspection and kill an otherwise great contract.
What Different Outcomes Can Affect Your Home's Sale?
When completing a home sale, the buyer usually hires a home inspector to enter the home and perform a visual inspection. By state of Ohio standards, a home inspector will identify major health, safety, structural or mechanical problems.
“Our inspectors look for things that are seriously defective, unsafe, near the end of their life, or not working properly,” said Erin Brite of LiteHouse Services Group LLC.
When does the home inspection take place when selling homes in Cincinnati?
There are two types of home inspections in a home sale: a buyer's inspection and a seller's inspection (or pre-listing inspection).
The buyer's inspection is occurs after the buyer offers on the house and before the sale is concluded. After the home inspection, the buyer may be able to renegotiate their offer or order repairs if certain problems are indicated.
The seller's home inspection occurs before the home is listed. Some sellers decide to inspect their home when they prepare their home for sale so they can fix any issues ahead of time and save time when closing. Sellers - Click this link to learn how to get your Cincinnati home LiteHouse Ready!
What happens during a residential home inspection?
A typical home inspection takes 3-4 hours on an average-sized home. After that, it takes about 1-2 hours to complete the report. At LiteHouse Services Group LLC, our inspectors get thorough, completed reports to our clients within 24 hours of the inspection.
Home inspectors look inside and outside your home and record any damage, defects or dangerous problems with your home and property. "The most important thing we pay attention to is safety,” Brite emphasizes.
Who must be present during a home inspection?
Anyone can be present for the inspection. However, people controlling the scheduling and access of the home inspection must always be present with the inspector in the house. "LiteHouse Inspectors are able to schedule and access listed properties on their own, which is a benefit to clients and agents working with us," added Brite.
Most home inspectors are willing to answer all questions during a home inspection. Therefore, it is advisable to go to the inspection and listen to the results directly.
What are home inspectors looking for?
Home inspectors have a long list of things to check at the home. "It's the inspector's job to find flaws in the home, and flaws they find," says Brite. "We first concentrate on health and safety problems and next the major defects".
There are seven important things home inspectors are looking for:
Moisture damage
Structural problems
Aged / damaged roof
Dangers in the electrical system
Issues with plumbing
Insects and Vermin
HVAC system problems
What Home Inspectors are not looking for...
Unless it poses a potential safety issue, the home inspector has no concern with cosmetic defects in the home. For example: if you have cracks or water marks on the wall, they will report this. But they won't report peeling wallpaper as more than an observation for the buyers information only.
Home inspections are an important part of the home buying and selling process. Do your best to make sure your home is ready for the inspection to help your buyers have a great experience and you have a great sale!
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