Why do people move?
- First time home buyers
- Trading up to larger home
- Older couples trading down
- Vacation Property/ 2nd home
- Relocations/ job transfer
- Death of spouse/ change of marital status/ family changes
What types of structures need a home inspection?
- Single Family house
- Two-family house
- Condominiums
- Town Houses/Row houses
- Vacation Property
- Lake Property
- Apartments up to 4 units
- Modular housing
At what point is the home inspection normally performed
- For Buyers: Within 5-7 days of acceptance of PO
- For Sellers: 4-6 months before putting house on the market. The timing of a seller inspection is to provide time necessary to complete repairs prior to placing home 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)
On Inspection day:
- Inspector meets at sellers home. No agent is present.
- 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)
- Emphasis is on repairs / changes to increase sales appeal of home.
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 seller. The seller can forward the report to another party such as a contractor or real estate agent, since the information is theirs to pass out as they wish. A copy of the report remains at Bruins Inspections, Inc. for future reference.
How is the report information used?
The seller uses report information to identify problem areas that may hamper selling the home or achieving a desired sale price. The report will suggest recommend repairs, maintenance, and improvements that could be completed prior to listing the home. The seller decides which repairs will be done and how much money he wants to spend.