Residential Inspections
Where Does A Home Inspection Fit In?
You've been shown many homes that are on the market. After much invested time and effort,
you've selected a home that fits your family's needs, is in your price range, and one you feel is
the best house for your money. The Seller has just accepted your purchase agreement. In the
Omaha Metro, Council Bluffs, and surrounding areas, most purchase agreements have a home
inspection contingency. The agreement gives you, the Buyer, 5-7 business days to have the
property inspected. If any major problems are found, then you have the right to walk away from the purchase with no strings attached. For this, you want to hire a competent home inspector to thoroughly inspect your
future home to point out any major defects or safety issues. After the inspection, if you decide to proceed with the purchase, then utilizing the inspection report, you will be able to get estimates for repairs and successfully negotiate your options.
Hiring The Right Inspector
So, who do you hire? How about a professional home inspector who:
- has a reputation for being thorough
- provides detailed and accurate narrative reports complete with digital photos
- is a member of The National Association of Home Inspectors at their highest level: The Certified Real Estate Inspector
- is The
Nebraska Chapter of NAHI President
- is the only inspector in the area to receive
professional HVAC training and be Certified by Heat Exchanger Experts in the latest techniques
to find cracked heat exchangers (1 in 7 homes we inspected in 2005 had a cracked furnace!)
- is Nebraska state licensed to conduct radon tests
- does not enter into exclusive contracts with real estate companies
- has doubled the continuing education requirements the last 2 years
- is the Chair of the NAHI Website Committee
If you'd like to meet me in person before hiring me, please attend a Home Buyer Workshop.
Expectations
In a Utopian world, the home inspector finds only minor problems with the home, you sign
off on the home inspection contingency, close on the home, and happily move in. In reality, no house is perfect. (See our 2007 statistics at the bottom of this page.) Some are in better condition than others. Some have maintenance issues. Some have 1 major problem, while others have 10. Some, after 5 hours of inspecting,simply need to be dozed in! Older homes tend to have more problems stemming from wear-n-tear while newer homes have more problems resulting from mistakes made during the construction process. Then there are the Do-It-Yourself remodeling projects gone bad found in a lot of homes inbetween. Below are some examples of what we've found:
- We had a reputable Costum Builder's jaw drop when we found a cracked gerder truss that was holding up 1/3 of the roof of this $500,000 new home.
- There was a 3 year old home that needed the entire roof replaced because the Roofer didn't set his nail gun at the right depth before he started installing the shingles. All of the nails on the roof stuck up 1/4" and were either poking all the way through the shingles or about to be. That turned out to be a $25,000 mistake.
- We've found elevated deadly amounts of CO gas in several homes that if left unnoticed could have killed the occupants.
- There were 2 homes this year that had breached chimneys so bad that the wood nearby was charred and very close to burning the homes down.
- The Seller of a 5-plex claimed the roof was 5 years old. After finding multiple holes, water damaged ceilings, and a 35' open seam, we guessed the roof to be 20-25 years old with new tar added maybe 5 years ago. Our
client got a bid for $6,000 to have the roof replaced.
- On a finished basement bathroom, the shower was aimed directly at the electric furnace. There was no shower surround and the furnace had two 60-amp breakers!
Regardless what year your home was built, it's important to have a professional test every system and inspect every area of the home before you buy it.
Our 2007 Statistics
84% of the homes we inspected successfully made it to closing
64% needed more than $1,000 to repair*
33% of the furnaces had a cracked heat exchanger
70% of the radon tests were high
71% had serious safety hazards*
45% had serious electrical hazards
19% had breached chimney liners
(* Does not include radon figures) |
