Buyer Beware! Top 5 things to look out for in your home inspection

Are you under contract on a new home and planning your inspection? Or maybe you’ve received your inspection and it's a 30 page document and you’re feeling overwhelmed on what to look for? What’s important? Better yet…what is going to cost the most to fix?

In this blog, I’m going to point out the 5 biggest things to look out for in your inspection. Make sure you stick around for my last thing, which sounds like a MAJOR red flag but can be pretty easy & inexpensive to fix.

Alright, as you can imagine, most of the things I’m going to point out come with a big price tag. In Indiana, the inspection is supposed to point out MAJOR defects on the property. Sometimes the inspection report lists every nail out of place. We don’t want to walk away from a home on account of $30 of outlet covers that you need to pick up from the hardware store. Remember, It’s MAJOR issues. Such as….

#1: The Roof

Roofs typically last about 20 years–of course give or take. When looking for a new home, if the roof was recently replaced, you dodged a bullet for sure. Depending on the size of the home, the roof can cost anywhere between $5,000 to $20,000 or even more if it is a large home. Now, one thing to be aware of, is whether or not the inspection indicates that you need a whole new roof or just a few shingles replaced. In some instances, there may be a little bit of storm damage and repairs can run for much less–sometimes only a few hundred dollars. If it is questionable, exercise your additional time to respond to the inspection report and hire a professional roofer to give you an estimate.

#2: Major Mechanicals

Purchasing a home with newer mechanicals is always a plus, since they can be costly to replace. For instance, a Furnace usually lasts 15-20 years and can cost between $3,000 - upwards of $8,000 depending on the size of your home. A Hot Water heater usually lasts 8-12 years and costs $1,000 - $3,000+. For your air conditioning unit, you should get 15-20 years and a replacement cost is around $3,000 - $8,000+ The inspection report should be able to tell you the age and condition of each of these, and how often they have been serviced.

#3: Pool

I always recommend getting a pool expert out to inspect the condition of the pool, the liner, and the mechanicals. This is also an instance where it may be a good idea to purchase a home warranty to cover the pool equipment–especially when buying a pool in the winter, when–Buyer Beware!--the mechanicals cannot be inspected since the pool isn’t running. Pools are awesome, but can be costly to fix so just make sure to get that extra inspection, or at a minimum, ask for the maintenance receipts from the seller.

#4: Well & Septic

In Northwest Indiana, well & septic inspections are only required in LaPorte county, however I always recommend them no matter where you’re buying. New septic systems can be crazy expensive to replace–running up to $20,000 depending on the type of repairs or replacements needed and the type of system that you have. It used to be common for the seller to almost always pay for those repairs, but in our hot seller’s market, it has become another negotiation opportunity. The other benefit to getting the well & septic inspection? Those inspectors are literally experts and can show you how to use your new system, how to care for it, and anything tricky or interesting with your particular system. Your inspection will be a little mini lesson–especially if living on well & septic is new for you.

And finally….

#5: Mold

....or as we like to say "fungus." I know, gross. But we are not allowed to use the “M” word unless it is has been tested and confirmed that it is actually "mold." Whatever, it doesn’t matter what you call it, you don’t want it in your house! While you need to take it seriously and you don’t want to play around with it, this is one area that many times sounds scarier than it is. In some 1950’s-1970’s ranch homes, it is common to find it in the attic. Back then, Housing Code used to be fine with the bathroom vent, venting to the attic instead of outside. This caused moisture in the attic, thus leading to mold. There are plenty of mold remediation companies that come out and they simply spray it with a solution to kill the mold, and can even fix the vent to go outside to stop the problem at the source. See? Not so bad. Of course, there can be much worse mold issues, but as long as it is properly remediated AND fixed to prevent future issues, you should be ok.

Now that you’re through the inspection process, you’re one step closer to finally moving into your new home and enjoying it!

Look out for my next blog where I’ll be visiting some of my favorite hometown spots in the beautiful downtown area of Valparaiso, Indiana.

I hope I’ve not only pointed out items to look for in an inspection, but also, big updates & selling points to properties that you might want to keep an eye out for!

If you have any questions about the buying (or selling!) process, or want to get started, don’t hesitate to reach out!