Homebuyers spend fifteen minutes to an hour walking through a home prior to making an offer. At best, this provides a very general impression of the overall propry condition. What about foundations and structural framing, attic construction, insulation, ventilation, and roof conditions? ...Just a few of the hundreds of considerations included in a home thorough inspection.

Let's not forget family safety. Your inspector can alert you to red flag issues involving the electrical wiring and fixtures, fireplaces and chimneys, gas fixtures such as furnaces, water heaters, cook tops, and ovens, railings at staircases and decks, tempered safety glass in required locations, and automatic reverse of garage door openers.

The  inspector can forewarn you of problems involving faulty ground drainage, defective plumbing, substandard construction, firewall compliance, building settlement, leakage, general deterioration, inoperative fixtures, and so much more.

Your agent understands this process and the importance of equipping you to make an informed purchase decision. Your agent is working to protect your financial interests. A detailed home inspection can let you will know what you are buying, before you buy it, that could save you thousands of dollars and years of regret.

Does A New Homes Need Inspection?
The misbelieve that a new home is flawless, simply because it is new, is an unfortunate piece of popular mythology. When is a brand new product exempt from possible defects? Often  one hears of brand new cars recalled by Detroit; experienced sailors can tell you of brand new boats that have leaked; and even brand new parachutes have been known to fail when the ripcord was pulled. With new homes, anyone who has worked in building construction knows that contractors and trades people, as typical members of the human family, are prone to occasional, or not-so-occasional, errors and oversights.

A large population of Inspectors polled from across the US on new home defects unanimously agree that most, if not all, new homes are not totally free of defects. Historically none have ever discovered a perfect specimen, regardless of the quality of construction or the integrity of the builder.

When the builder warrants the work for one full year, such guaranties are of no benefit unless inherent defects are discovered. Even with a warranty it  may not cover them is the builder considers them nonmaterial and cosmetic in nature. Many types of building problems and safety violations do not become apparent for many years. Faulty wiring condition might not be revealed until it damages your computer or causes a fire. Defects might only be discovered when you finally resell the property, and the buyer decides to hire a home inspector.

New home  faulty conditions list that have been found  is extensive and includes such items as, defective roof installation, improper fireplace construction, errors in electrical wiring, excessive water pressure, fire safety violations, unsafe venting of heater exhaust, leaking drains, faulty site drainage, hot water piping connected to the toilet (can you imagine a steaming bowl?), etc, etc. One infamous case, a new home was built and approved on a concrete slab without a perimeter foundation. We're not likely to find a major list like this in any particular new home, but every new structure contains a few undisclosed defects, sometimes minor, sometimes not. New homes are often presumed to be exempt from human error, and consequently many close escrow without the benefit of a final examination. Buyers preparing to make such a large investment, rough assumptions about quality of workmanship can be financially fatal.

The best advice is to take nothing for granted. Your  cost of an inspection is incidental when compared to the price of a new home. The  qualified home inspector will most assuredly find items that need repair. It will be best to discover them now than after the close of escrow.

An Inspection Report Not A Repair List For Seller
You've hired a home inspector to make a complete repair list for the home you're buying. Your inspector did a thorough job and disclosed some serious problems with the property. Perhaps it was in the plumbing, or the electric wiring. Perhaps it was the roof. Surprisingly the seller refuses to fix anything. Should the seller be responsible to make these repairs? Did you think that the sellers must repair the problems discovered by home inspectors?

A common misunderstanding about the purpose of a home inspection is that it is  a mandatory repair list for the seller. Factually the sellers are not required to produce a flawless house. There is no such obligation by law or by contract with one exception: The
Termite report.  Real estate contracts typically obligate a seller to repair conditions classified as 'section one' in the termite inspector. Section1 includes instances of active infestation -- termites, fungus, dryrot, etc. Addtionally other faulty conditions, such as earth to wood contact, generally do not require action on the part of the seller, unless infestation is found.

After the home inspection, most repairs are subject to negotiation between the parties of a sale. A  buyers may request that various conditions be repaired before the close of escrow, and sellers will usually acquiesce to some of these demands. Most building defects are corrected by sellers as a matter of choice, not obligation; to foster good will or to facilitate consummation of the sale. A  few rigid sellers who will flatly refuse to fix anything, even at the risk of losing the sale. This response is the exception, rather than the rule.

A Sellers can maintain the legal right to refuse repair demands, except where requirements are set forth by state law, local ordinance, or the real estate purchase contract. Obligations legal  include earthquake straps for water heaters and smoke detectors in specified locations. Usually contracts  stipulate that fixtures be in working condition at the close of escrow, that windows not be broken, and that there be no existing leaks in the roof or plumbing.

Demands of the seller should be made only after careful  evaluation of the inspection report with an eye toward problems of greatest significance. Check for conditions which compromise health and safety or involve active leakage. Sellers that are reasonable, if even surprised  will address problems affecting sensitive areas such as the roof, fireplace, gas burning fixtures, or electrical wiring.

Cosmetic routine maintenance items warrant a lesser degree of concern and should not be pressed upon the seller. When a house is not brand new, it is unreasonable to boldly insist upon correction of all defects. Grandiose demands can alienate the seller and kill the sale. Willingness to accept minor problems may persuade a seller to correct conditions of greater substance.

A primary purpose of a home inspection is not to corner the seller with a repair list. A main objective is to know what you are buying before you buy it. The overwhelming majority of homes have defects; it's not possible to acquire one that is perfect. What you want is a working knowledge of significant defects before you close escrow. An old sea captain once told me: 'It doesn't matter if your boat has a leak, as long as you know it's leaking".

Home Inspection Limited To Only What Is Visible
A.S.H.I .,The American Society of Home Inspectors, established accepted standards of practice and codes of ethics, which define the general scope of a home inspection. Guidelines have come to be the acknowledged standards by which qualified home inspectors perform their services.

Criterias: a home inspection is limited to conditions that are visually discernible. Excluded from an inspection are conditions which are concealed from view, such as items contained within walls, ceilings, and floors, or which are buried beneath the ground. According to ASHI standards, inspectors are not required to perform dismantling of construction or excavation of ground surfaces to discover conditions that are not normally visible.

Clarification of the standards by which your inspector performed his services: Inspectors are careful to define the scope and limitations of their inspections. Parameters are generally outlined in either the contract or the report or both. Most home inspection contracts clearly specify that concealed items are outside the scope of the inspection Most inspection reports specifically identify ASHI standards as the basis upon which the inspection is to be performed.

How One Should  Negotiate After A Home Inspection
A home  is scheduled to be inspected you're buying. After you get your  inspection report, how do you know which problems the seller should fix and which ones to accept as is? Are there some rules or guidelines to determine how this works?

Most cases, a residential sale is contingent upon the buyers' acceptance of the home inspector's report. Meaning that you, as buyer, have a specified number of days to accept or decline the property in "as is" condition. If you decline acceptance, you have four basic choices:

1) The sellers is requested to make many repairs

2)The sellers is requested to make a few repairs
3)The sellers is requested to reduce the sales price;
4) Decline to buy the property.

When a buyer request repairs or a price adjustment, based this upon the home inspection report, the sellers also have choices. They can:

1) Agree to make all of your repairs requested
2) Agree to some
3) Agree to none
4) Decline to sell  the property to you.

Sellers' only obligation is to address defects that are named in the purchase contact or required by state and local laws.A contract specifies an "as is" sale, the sellers may refuse to make repairs of any kind or to adjust the price in any way. Exceptions may include strapping water heaters for earthquake safety, providing smoke alarms at specified locations, or upgrading plumbing fixtures for water conservation. Completion of the sale hinges upon whatever is agreeable between you and the sellers.

The Most Common Defects Found During a Home Inspection
Safety violations and construction defects and  are surprisingly common, but the majority of home inspection findings tend to be routine in nature In fact some rear their unsightly heads as often as the sun rises, not just in older homes, but often in brand new ones, even before the smell of new paint has waned . A list of common defects likely to appear in a typical home inspection report:

Rain Gutter and Roofing Defects:
Roofing material problems, either due to aging and wear or to improper installation, are likely to be found in a majority of homes. Not meaning that most roofs are in need of replacement, but rather that most are in need of some type of maintenance or repair

Roof Leaks Indicated By  Ceiling Stains:
Problem here is that you often can't tell if the roof still leaks, unless it is inspected on a rainy day  Stains are merely the residual effects of leaks that have been repaired. It is also the possibility that ceiling stains were caused by a former plumbing leak in the attic

Water Intrusion:
Intrusion of water  into basements or crawlspaces due to ground water conditions can be pervasive, difficult to resolve, and often very damaging to buildings Correction may be as simple as regrading the exterior grounds or adding roof gutters. Major drainage improvements are often the only practical solutions, requiring costly ground water systems such as French drains designed by experts such as geotechnical engineers

Electrical Home Safety Hazards:
An Electrical  hazards, especially (but not always) in older homes may be from an ungrounded outlets, lack of ground fault interrupters (shock protection devices), faulty wiring conditions in electrical panels or elsewhere in a building, et  Problems may be the result of errors at the time of construction, but very often they are due to wiring that was added or altered by persons other than qualified electricians

Wood rot:
Rotted wood on building exteriors and at various plumbing fixtures where wood stays wet for long periods, such as roof eaves, exterior trim, decks, around tubs and showers, or below loose toilets, fungus infection is very likely to occur, resulting in a condition commonly known as dry rot. Left unchecked, damage can become quite extensive and expensive

Alterations Were Constructed without Permits and Building Violations On Additions:
Often Homeowners will tell a home inspector, "A garage was  added  without a permit, but it was all done to code." This is a red flag to most home inspectors, because no one could possibly know the entire building code, and the average person without professional involvement with the code is likely to know very little of it  When a owner offers code assurance, problems are likely to be found

Fireplace and Chimney With Unsafe Conditions:
Ranging from lack of maintenance, such as neglecting to hire a chimney sweep, to faulty installation of fixtures Common among these are the lack of spark arrestors and substandard placement of wood-burning stoves. Fireplaces that are Free-standing are typically installed by home owners and handymen, people without an adequate knowledge of fire safety requirements Most common violations in these cases involve insufficient clearance between hot metal surfaces and combustible materials within the building. Often with this kind Fire hazards  are often concealed in attics, where they remain undiscovered until a roof fire occurs

Water Heaters Faulty Installation:
Most localities, less than 5% of all water heaters are installed in full compliance with plumbing code requirements Violations can include inadequate strapping, improperly installed overflow piping, unsafe flue conditions, or faulty gas piping. One should remembered that today's water heaters are designed with a shorter lifespan, leaks can develop in units that are only five years old

Gas Heaters, Hazardous Conditions :
Gas-fueled heaters are frequently in need of some maintenance, if only the changing of an air filter or a long-overdue review by the gas company Gas heaters may contain life-threatening defects that can remain undiscovered until too late Ranging from fire safety violations to the venting of carbon monoxide into the building, a cracked firebox, for example, can remain undiscovered unless found by an expert or until tragic consequences occur.

Garage Firewall Violations:
Fire-resistive construction is required for walls and doors that separate a garage from a dwelling  Violations may be very  common, either due to faulty construction, damage or alterations to the garage interior, or changes in code requirements since the home was built Older homes, where firewalls are not installed, sellers and agents may say that the building predates the code but  the fire separation requirement for residential garages dates back to 1927

Plumbing defects:
Very commonly found, including loose toilets, dripping faucets, slow drains, leaking drains, hot water at the right faucet, and so on

Windows failed seals  :
Condition is routinely found at dual pane windows, resulting in fogging Most common with windows manufactured during the 1980's

A unabridged list of  home inspection findings would probably fill a few volumes Home buyers, will this underscores the importance of a thorough evaluation prior to closing escrow Your agent will strongly advise you to obtain a Home Inspection