| Should you do your own pre-purchase inspection? | | | | Pre-Purchase Inspection - Choosing An Inspector |
| Yes and no. Yes, you should inspect a house before | | | | For specific inspections that are customary in your |
| you write an offer on it. Then you should put an | | | | area, you can rely on most reputable companies. |
| inspection contingency clause in the offer, and hire a | | | | Termite inspections are the norm here in Tucson, for |
| professional inspector. Why do both? | | | | example, and it's cheap to get one done by a pest |
| Doing your own inspection can help you get a better | | | | control company (they hope to get the job if there |
| deal. Each cracked window or leaky toilet you can | | | | are termites to be eradicated). If the roof has |
| find is a negotiating point. You see, you could just | | | | obvious problems, you can get a roofer to take a |
| make a low offer, but a seller is more likely to accept | | | | look and give you an itemized quote. |
| your offer if you have reasons for it being lower. In | | | | For general pre-purchase inspections, though, it isn't |
| fact, you should attach a list of your concerns to the | | | | as easy to hire the right person. In many states it is |
| offer, as an explanation and justification for your | | | | relatively easy to get licensed for general home |
| price. | | | | inspection. What you really want, though, is not |
| Use a list as you walk through the house. Using a | | | | someone that read the right books and passed a |
| home inspection checklist keeps you from forgetting | | | | test, but an inspector with real life experience. Ideally, |
| things. You don't have to know the difference | | | | you want a former builder or tradesman that has real |
| between 12-gauge and 14-gauge wiring, or become | | | | experience with everything from electrical work to |
| an expert on all the building trades, as useful as this | | | | roofing to plumbing and more. |
| would be. Just use what you do know, and make a | | | | You want to know what is wrong, but you also want |
| note if something looks "odd" or "smells funny." | | | | to know what it will cost to fix these problems. Not |
| Afterwards, you can have a professional inspector | | | | all inspectors will have that information for you. Ask if |
| take a closer look. | | | | they can give you estimates for repairing any |
| Pay for a professional pre-purchase inspection. Unless | | | | problem they find, even if only in the form of a |
| you really know a lot, it can save your neck | | | | range of the possible cost. You may be |
| financially. An acquaintance of mine just discovered | | | | re-negotiating the price based on his findings. You |
| that the house he made an offer on was almost | | | | could call in contractors to get quotes on big |
| beyond hope, because their was so much termite | | | | problems, but you need to at least know which are |
| and other damage. He backed out of the deal, and | | | | big problems, and a good inspector should be able to |
| considering the tens of thousands of damage he | | | | tell you. |
| hadn't planned on, I don't think he's regretting the | | | | To sum up: Do your own walk-through inspection, |
| $300 he spent on inspections. | | | | then hire a professional. Ask about their experience. |
| Do a walk-through inspection yourself, by all means. | | | | Ask if they can note estimated costs next to |
| Just also put that clause in the contract allowing you | | | | problems found. If you want to learn more, ask if |
| to have professional inspections too. Now, how do | | | | maybe you can tag along for the inspection. Do |
| you choose the right person to do the inspections? | | | | these things and you'll have a thorough pre-purchase |
| Carefully. | | | | inspection. |