What does a home inspector do?
Home buyers often wonder what does a home inspectors do? It’s a pretty fair question.
The purpose of a home inspector is to detect deficiencies in a home for the home buyer. Upon arriving to a inspection, the inspector is examining the home for thing’s such as grading. Grading is the slope that the ground angles away from the house. This is important for shedding water away from the home. At this point, the inspector should also be looking at the foundation. Looking for cracks in the foundation, settlement and movement. It’s important to be familiar with the area that is being inspected. Many foundations in North Texas could appear to be deficient. Being that a lot of our foundations have minor or “cosmetic” cracks.
Exterior walls will also be inspected for major cracks and deficiencies. Step cracks are sometimes a sign of foundation settlement. As the inspector is observing the exterior walls, the windows are also being observed. Checking for failed seals, cracks, missing screens, etc. Before the inspector enters the home, the roof is inspected as well.
Interior Inspection
When entering the home, most home inspector start in the kitchen. “It’s a good place to set their stuff down”. They might at this time start the oven, run the sink, and garbage disposer. Test the stove, run the dishwasher, and lower the thermostat. The interior inspection can be time consuming. Inspecting the plumbing, electrical, HVAC. This is when the inspector needs their full attention. There is a lot that could be missed if detracted. Minor cracks in interior wall and ceilings should be noted. Safety issues are an important thing not to miss. A bad plug can be a real “pain”.
The point of the home inspection is to give the home buyer the information needed to make a intelligent offer on a home. Many thing can be fixed in negotiations while working out the deal.
