Guest Post - How Long Does A Home Inspection Take

The sale of any property does not take place unless it has been inspected by a qualified home inspector. This could be any real estate property where the buyer needs to be absolutely sure about the condition of the property that he is buying. The buyer, therefore, hires a trained home inspector for carrying out the home inspection. 

The things that the home inspector takes into consideration while inspecting the property include:

• Heating and cooling systems

• Plumbing

• Electrical work 

• Water

• Sewage

• Fire and safety issues

• Fire or water damage

• Pest problems

How long does a home inspection take?

The time duration for the home inspection is agreed upon between the buyer and seller so that the buyer can carry out the assessment of the property after signing the contract or agreement. This duration can range from 1 to 30 days but it must be agreed upon by the buyer and seller at the beginning of the agreement. 

The inspection period begins when the contract or agreement is signed. The buyer has to accept or reject the property within this time period. In case of rejection by the buyer, the seller gets 5 days to inspect the property that has been returned to him. The buyers and sellers should ensure that the time period is sufficient for the authentication or appraisal process (if required) before the agreement or contract is finalized. 

How is a home inspection beneficial?

A home inspection is beneficial for both the buyers and sellers alike. If a seller gets the home inspection done before selling, they can increase the value of the property by making repairs and upgrading the systems. Similarly, if the buyer decides to get it done themselves, they can estimate the amount of money they would need for repairs or builder oversights or upkeep. Hence, the buyers are saved from a lot of hassle in addition to learning how much money they can save on buying a property.

Pro tip: If you have fixed appliances in your house like refrigerators or dishwashers and they have gone past their useful age, replacing them will certainly increase the value of your property. Generally, refrigerators last for about 10 to 15 years, and selling a house with one past that age will not sit well with the buyer if you’re hoping to get a good deal. 

The procedure of home inspection:

Usually, the buyers hire a home inspector to assess the condition of the property they want to buy. In general, the buyers ask for a written report with the complete details of the property’s condition, the evaluation of repairs that are essential, or that need to be done, maintenance cost, and any other issue related to the cost of the property. The property is inspected thoroughly, from the foundations to the roof, including the structure of the house and its systems to ensure that the property is up to the code.

Inspection Contingency: The inspection is conducted when the buyer and seller have signed the contract or agreement. Hence, there needs to be an inspection contingency in the contract that gives the buyer time to hire an inspector (if inspection needs to be conducted), get the assessment of the property done, receive the report, and act accordingly. Hence, the buyer can make the following decisions based on the contingency report:

• Consider the report approved and finalize the contract.

• Not approve the report and not finalize the contract. Therefore, return the earnest money.

• If needed, make a request for getting more time to inspect things for complete satisfaction.

• Ask for a concession or request the seller for repairs to be made. In case the seller agrees, the deal can move towards finalization. In case the seller disapproves, the buyer does not finalize the contract and returns the earnest money.

Inspection Checklist: No house is ideal - even the ones that are newly built - but precautions can help in making a comparatively better decision. Therefore, you need to bear in mind the areas that need attention and prepare a checklist of what needs to be assessed or inspected. In order to assist you, several checklists (like this one), are available for you to get an idea of what the inspectors look for when they inspect any property. The following things are included in the checklist:

Ground, structure, and exterior:

• Garages and/or carports

• Exterior doors

• Drainage, grading, plants and retaining walls

• Wallcoverings, flashing and trim

• Driveways, patios, and walkways

• Balconies, decks, steps, porches, and railings

• Eaves, fascias, and soffits (if visible)

• Roof (chimneys and other penetrations e.g. skylights)

• Downspouts and gutters

Interior construction:

• Doors and windows

• Garage doors and operators

• Installed kitchen appliances

• Walls, floors, and ceilings

• Ductwork

• Cabinets and countertops

• Foundation

• Fuel-burning fireplace and stoves

Plumbing:

• Water heater

• Dishwasher 

• Fixtures and faucets

• Sump pumps

• Sewage ejectors

• Drain, vent, and waste systems

Electrical Installations: 

• Water heater

• Fixtures and faucets

• Sump pumps

• Sewage ejectors

• Drain, vent, and waste systems

Some inspectors may also provide some extra services although they are not included in the home inspection list. Furthermore, they may charge some extra amount for specialized tests of mold, or carbon dioxide testing, as they are pretty expensive to conduct. The extra services that may be charged (or may be complementary) include:

• Rodents

• Landscaping

• Pests like termites and carpenter ants

• Airborne hazards such as radon

• Low-wattage electrical systems (alarm systems and phone lines)

• Areas that aren’t easily accessible

Hence, the job of the home inspector is crucial in determining the value of the property that the buyer wants to buy and the seller wants to sell. They need to be very careful while inspecting the house otherwise if the buyer finds something odd and objectionable the whole deal will go down the pipe, and the sale will most certainly be jeopardized.

Conclusively, the home inspection can last up to 4 days maximum and a minimum of 2 days. But it entirely depends upon how big the house is, so make sure to check each and every corner so you don’t end up with more than you bargained for. Pun intended.

Author bio

Sarah loves to keep things organized and tidy. She really likes renovating and binge-watches informative videos for new ideas to make the house a cozier place to live in.

Guest Post - 4 Resale Value Boosting Tips for Your Next Home Remodeling Project

One of the greatest problems with doing a home remodeling project lies in the fact that not every investment necessarily pays off in terms of net value. For instance, fixing the roof boosts your home’s energy-efficiency and drastically boosts the quality of life within the given home, but if you intend to sell the place right away, you aren’t likely to see a great ROI. This is why you need to be aware of micro-projects that do give you a positive net value boost. Here are our top four choices.

Garage door replacement

The first thing you need to understand is the fact that a certain part of your home attracts the most attention doesn’t mean it’ll give the best ROI at the resale. For instance, a garage door is something that most visitors notice passively at first and inspect closely later on, and it can give you 98.3% of the initial value. For instance, the average cost of a garage door replacement is at about $3,470 and you’re likely to get as much as $3,411 of average resale value upon selling your home. Naturally, this replacement should be mentioned to the real-estate agent, so that they can point it out during the tour as one of the home’s selling points.

Entry door replacement

Anything that has to do with security is always a point of interest for a potential home buyer. Naturally, the best example of how this works can be seen in the example of entry door replacement. This is an investment that usually pays off about 91.3% of its initial value upon the resale. Due to the fact that it gives you the comfort of living in a safe home and may even become a strong selling proposition during the negotiations, it’s definitely an investment worth making.

Electrical grid and plumbing

Any seasoned buyer’s agent or even an experienced buyer is bound to check the state of the electric grid and the plumbing within your home. With so many homes on the market, why go for the one with leaky faucets and flickering lights? These are simply some problems that are immediately noticeable, so this will make any buyer think about all other systemic and infrastructural problems that they’re yet to uncover. Keep in mind that this problem is something that can occur at any time of night or day (even the night before the scheduled tour), which is why you need to have a reliable electrician nearby. For instance, those living in western Sydney should benefit from having the number of the Western Sydney electrician on speed-dial.

A kitchen remodel

In the first section, we’ve mentioned things that people are bound to notice first about your home. Naturally, any buyer heads to the kitchen and the bathroom first, seeing as how these are the two most functional rooms in your household. This is why doing a minor kitchen remodel tends to recover about 81.1 % of its total value upon resale. However, try not to be extravagant when picking fixtures and appliances. You aren’t preparing a family home but rather a project to increase the appeal of your home and boost its resale value.

Conclusion

In the end, some may question how smart it is to spend money on something that won’t return the investment in its entirety. After all, even the best of investments (return-wise) doesn’t bring back 100 % of the initial price. The answer to this is simple – these four simple improvements can make the difference between you being able to sell the place as soon as it appears on the market and you not being able to sell it at all. As you can see, it’s a world of a difference.

Author Bio: Amelia Atkins is an author at Smooth Decorator and a fresh architecture student. The love for architecture and design runs in her family and she knew what she wanted to do from a very young age. You can often find her with a notepad in hand, just looking at the clouds, dreaming about the next skyscraper. Twitter / Facebook.