Do we really need to spend money to have a home inspection?

smthomas · #1 08-18-2008, 05:21 AM

Well, as per my point of view its worth to spend money to have home inspection. It’s not only the home inspection seeks out any defects, the home inspector will often give you tips on maintaining and repairing your house. A good home inspector will probably find out some things you need to know about before you buy the property.

Well what do you think about home inspection? I will look forward for your opinions.

__________________
I'm the Buyers Agent

frogman68 · #2 08-18-2008, 05:59 AM

I think it is a necessary evil. You dont want to be blindsided (it still happens but you get a little piece of mind). I think that a home inspection is a requirement to get the mortgage so I dont think you have a choice.

ss0847 · #3 08-18-2008, 06:07 AM

I will never...ever buy a home without it...kinda like an oil change in a car...don't do it...and you could be fine...or u could not...its a gamble...I tend to not leave important things to chance...besides...its only a couple hundred bucks...I mean if your that strapped...you shouldn't be buying a home at all...

Rusty · #4 08-18-2008, 06:12 AM

I think it's worth it... once I got a new garage door because the old was rotting and not noticeable from the front. The sellers also had the furnace inspected because it had been a long time since it had been done. This was all because of my home inspection.

Curly · #5 08-18-2008, 07:19 AM

Still, alot of home inspectors are told not to break the sale. Hire one yourself, don't let the sellers real estate agent get one for you. Conflict of interest.

M.Opaliski · #6 08-18-2008, 08:02 AM

No doubt Curly, that's a good tip to hire your own. And as mentioned above, the Inspection is a requirement unless you're buying with cash ...

kevin · #7 08-20-2008, 11:31 AM

It's ALWAYS best to get an inspection of anything you but. Plus, the banks are requireing them anyway. It's their house until you pay it off. So they aren't going to finance a home with major problems or potential problems suck as electrical or plumbing problems.

trothaar · #8 08-31-2008, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Curly

Still, alot of home inspectors are told not to break the sale. Hire one yourself, don't let the sellers real estate agent get one for you. Conflict of interest.

I agree heartily. My husband and I got screwed in Florida, by a home inspector "recommended" by our real estate agent. He mentioned such ticky-tack little things as "GFCI not working in kitchen" (cost of DIY repair: about $20.00) but glossed right over the flooding problem in the Florida room (cost of repair: $1,000.00). He also said that there were "loose tiles" in the master bath. They weren't just loose...They were collapsed, because they were mounted on regular drywall rather than Hardiboard. The entire bathroom had to be gutted. He also missed several bad spots on the roof.

When we sold the house, my husband (who works at home) was present when the buyer's "inspector" came by. Apparently they, too, used one "recommended" by their agent. The guy casually glanced around, and spent most of his time talking to my husband about airplanes.

Never hire an inspector "recommended" by an RE agent, a mortgage broker, or anyone else who has a financial stake in that transaction being pushed through. Get your own, independent, neutral party.

motherof3 · #9 08-31-2008, 09:43 PM

I definitely agree with the part of getting your own inspector. I used one that my Realtor set up when I bought this house. Among other things that he "missed" I had to replace the boiler within the first 4 months of buying the house! I was single and had no clue about a boiler system, I ended up taking the inspector to court and he had to pay for half the cost, but still it sucked! In the future I'd hire an inspector all on my own and not go through the Realtor.

Delly · #10 08-31-2008, 09:55 PM

A home inspection is not a requirement. It's an option, and it's wise to hire your own home inspector.

An appraisal is a requirement, unless you are paying cash. An appraiser is not a home inspector, as most know. The Delaware Real Estate Sales Contract is quite lengthy now, and there's a required termite inspection, required radon test, required seller's disclosure, and addendums stating how much, if any, the seller is contributing towards the buyers' closing costs.

hockey · #11 09-02-2008, 10:19 PM

We didn't have any tests or inspections done when we bought our current house. It's definitely scary buying and moving into an non-inspected house...(no tests or anything) but my husband is very handy and we basically upgraded/tested everything after we moved in.

If it wasn't for his expertise, I would have demanded a home inspection just for peace of mind.