History of home inspection:

Home inspection is now a normal part of the residential real estate cycle. It is a business developed since 1970 arising out of the need to protect buyers from purchasing a home with problems.

Purpose of a buyer home inspection:

• Determine condition of the house
• Identify deficiencies/ red flags
• Learn about house
• Address specific client concerns
• Perform basic safety check
• Determine ages of appliances
• Learn true cost of house

What types of residential structures commonly have a home inspection and/or radon test?

• Single Family house
• Two-family house
• Condominiums
• Town Houses/Row houses
• Cluster homes
• Patio homes
• Vacation Property
• Lake Property
• Apartments houses up to 4 units
• Modular housing

At what point is the home inspection normally performed

• For Buyers: Within 5-7 days of acceptance of Purchase Offer
• For Sellers: 4-6 months before putting house on the market
• For Home Owners: Any time it is convenient for owner.
• Radon Test: Usually done in conjunction with a home inspection but is also done all by itself without real estate changing hands. (House has never been tested, or is being retested)

On Inspection day:

• Inspector and buyer meet at house. Usually one of the agents is present.
• The seller is usually asked to be absent
• Walk through house with inspector
• Answer questions
• Document problems, take pictures
• Receive verbal summary
• Takes about 3 hours
• Report written off site following inspection (emailed to client)

What are the red flags that are reported?

• Items that don’t work or need significant repair
• Items at the end of normal service life (roof covering, heating system, appliances, etc.) that will be expensive to replace
• Safety Issues – Items that result in personal injury such as stairs, steps, decks, possible carbon monoxide poisoning hazards
• Fire and electrical problems, evidence of amateur work
• Drainage problems, roof leaks and grading issues
• High Liability Areas- poor deck design
• Obvious mold, pest problems

Who receives the inspection report?

The inspection report is confidential and is sent only to the buyer. With the buyer’s permission, the report can also be sent to the buyer’s real estate agent and others as needed. The buyer can forward the report to another party such as an attorney, since the information is theirs to pass out as they wish. A copy of the report remains at Bruins Inspections, Inc. for future reference. In most instances, buyers choose to have the report sent to their real estate agent for convenience, and to save time.

How is the report information used?

In consultation with their real estate agent, the information is usually used in one of four ways.