When buying real estate educating yourself on the property you’re purchasing is of the utmost importance.  The best way to learn about any property is to hire a great Home Inspector to inspect it.  A Home Inspector will look investigate all the working components of a property and provide a detailed analysis of the home.  A home inspection is money well spent!

Your Realtor should know many qualified Home Inspectors.  There are plenty of Home Inspectors to choose from, but make sure you hire one with experience.  Bringing in a Contractor is not the same.  A Home Inspector with experience will have all the tools necessary to inspect the home and have a game plan for the inspection.  Checking an outlet doesn’t mean bringing along a phone charger to see if that outlet has power.

The home buyer is responsible for paying for the home inspection.  A small condo may run about $350 while a large home with a pool can approach $750.  We pay the Inspector at the time of the inspection.  It’s one of the few upfront costs associated with buying a home.

A Home Inspector will inspect the exterior of the home, including the roof, the siding or stucco, the foundation, windows, fencing, and chimneys.  The Inspector will also go into the attic to check for roof leaks, framing issues, insulation, pests, ducting, and wiring.  He will also crawl under the home, if a crawl space exists, to check out the plumbing, foundation, drainage, and look for signs of pests.  The Inspector will also check the electrical panel, water pressure, plumbing fixtures, appliances, outlets, garage door, and much more.

A good Home Inspector will provide a detailed report with pictures and explanations.  He will also walk you through the findings so it’s ideal to be on site.  I recommend clients follow the Inspector and ask questions along the way.  The findings will most likely lead you to consult with other professionals like an Electrician, Plumber, Roofer, of HVAC contractor.  If further evaluation is needed your Realtor should have a relationships with these contractors.  The Home Inspector is not the person you hire to fix your home, he just provides the initial diagnosis.

When listing your home for sale you might consider hiring a Home Inspector to inspect your home.  Offering an inspection report to buyers will limit, and possibly eliminate, repair requests once in escrow.  This is way to put all your cards on the table.  You might also consider fixing any issues that come up in the inspection as a way to boost your home’s appeal.  This approach is fairly common in the Bay Area, but not so much in San Diego.

As always, if you’re in need of a great Home Inspector I’m happy to share my contacts with you!