3 Reasons Why You Need a Home Inspection

You’ve done it. You’ve found the perfect home for your family. It’s easy at this point to get carried away and just do whatever is possible to get into your new home as quickly as you can. However, as tempting as this is, it’s certainly not the route you want to go down in your path to home ownership. Instead, it’s essential that you carry out a residential home inspection (aka: a pre purchase home inspection) before closing on your new home.

A home inspection comes with a wide range of benefits that you don’t want to miss. And after over 15 years in the home inspection business, I can tell you that it’s well worth the time. Keep reading to learn why you should never skip the home inspection - regardless of how new a home it is or how experienced of a buyer you may be.

Reason #1: Not everything is how it seems

A home may seem totally perfect from the outside, but the reality is that you really can’t be sure what’s lurking below the surface. Some things that work today, may be on the verge of not working any more - and it’s impossible to know without looking for certain signs that a home may have - that may not be visible to the untrained eye. Many times, problems that are brewing are almost invisible or seem relatively ‘normal’. Finding these ahead of time can save you hours of time and stress as homeowners and in some cases, can be fixed by the seller of the home - as long as you find them before the purchase is complete. Finding them after it’s officially yours though? Then you’re out of luck.

Another bonus of this is that it can help you to better know what to expect in terms of maintenance down the line. For example, if your home’s air conditioner is working great, but is getting up there in the years, knowing this can help you to budget for when it’s time for a replacement.

Reason #2: Finding the hidden gems of your home

Conversely, a home inspection can also help to find features of your home you may not have been privy to. A home inspection is an opportunity to highlight those small, but truly valuable characteristics of a home. These are items that may have seemed too minor for the seller to notice, but they are items that can ultimately improve and simplify your life in your new home. In other words, if you want to find out any of the ‘bonus’ functionalities of your home that make it better to live in, a home inspection is the time to do so.

Reason #3: Learning the inner workings of your home

Not only can a home inspection help you to find features of your home that you were previously unaware of, it can also help you to better understand how to use those features. Not to mention the basics, like what to do if you need to shut off the water or find a certain essential part of your home. Think of a home inspection like a tour of your new kingdom — you gotta know where all the different components are so that you can ensure they all remain in great shape. Homes are complex and getting the chance to see all those important little details ahead of time can make your life infinitely easier down the line.

The moral of the story? A home inspection is the most effective way to be sure that you are getting the home that you want — without worrying about what will happen a few years down the line. It can help you to find any hidden problems or opportunities so that you can complete your home purchase with confidence.

Got questions about what to expect in a home inspection? Need a prospective home in Virginia or Washington, DC inspected? Contact me today at ryan@redstarhomeinspections.com