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Home Inspection

Updated: Jan 8, 2018

A Rexburg home inspection matters because you don't know what you don't know. In real estate, the more you know about a property the better. What you don't know can, and usually does, lead to disappointment and added expenses that could have been avoided. People "in the know" use two safeguards that every future home buyer should use to protect their interest. They require full disclosure and a professional home inspection by a certified inspector. So what is a professional home inspection?




Professional Home Inspection

First, to clear up one misconception, we need to say what home inspection is not. Home inspection is not an appraisal of value. Appraisals are done by real estate appraisers, usually on behalf of lenders, to determine a value on the property. Home inspections, on the other hand, are usually requested by home buyers to evaluate the home to identify any defects, maintenance concerns, safety issues, violations of building codes, or sewer problems. Your home inspector will be looking out for your future interests in the home. If there is a leaking furnace exhaust, they will identify it. If the  home has defective plumbing that may have been recalled, they will seek it out. 

Home inspectors have a very long list of items they look at to make sure you know the most you possibly can before you pay your hard earned money for a property. They also follow specific standards of practice. Local home inspectors like Spartan Inspections also have the benefit of knowing the area well. This means they often know important information about homes in the area before they even arrive. They know many of the builders, what materials they have used in other similar homes, and what to look for that others may not.



Home Inspections Help With Negotiating Price

Generally speaking, it is a good idea to include a home inspection contingency on purchase offers. This is important because if there is no contingency in place, and you sign the purchase agreement, you may inadvertently bind yourself to the purchase of a house that has major structural and mechanical defects. Putting a home inspection contingency in your purchase contract allows you to come back to the table and negotiate with the seller to reduce the price or fix the problems before the sale goes through. So home inspections just make sense.


One Final Point

Over the years we have learned that after all you can do, sometimes properties will still have problems. Many of these problems are hidden away in the house. Always keep in mind that home inspections are visual in nature. Unless your home inspector has visual clues that lead to further investigation, some problems may go undetected. For example, if PEX tubing was installed throughout the house, and then all of the tubing was covered by drywall, your home inspector may not notice that the type of tubing installed has been part of a recall. If the inspector sees wet drywall, they may ask permission to expose what is there, or recommend a plumber come and take a look at it to provide information on the tubing, but if there is no visual clue, the problem may go undetected. This is unfortunate, but sometimes it happens. In our experience, this is the exception to the rule, but it cannot be discounted as a possible scenario.

Bob Canning at EastIdahoProperty.com and Team Greene Real Estate always recommends having a home inspection done prior to the purchase of a home. It just makes sense and is well worth the money spent. It provides peace of mind.


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