Home inspection brings you peace of mind every time you decide to go through with the purchase. With this activity, your eyes will be opened to a lot of things, especially the real condition of the house. You get a chance to verify what the seller is claiming about the house. This is also your insurance. It protects you from incurring expensive repairs in the near future. You get to enjoy the house without fears of breakdowns for being worn out easily.
Without a doubt, home inspection is really important every time you by a house. You can find an inspector simply by asking your friends and family. But whoever you hire as your inspector, they should be a member of ASHI or American Society of Home Inspector. An inspector with this kind of membership will ensure you of quality job that is up to standards.
An ASHI accredited inspector will check your house according to their standard of practice. Primarily they have 10 basic areas that needs to be inspected. If it is out of their scope, there will be a need for specialized inspector to further ascertain the condition of a particular house component. For some, this would just mean that they would have to pay additional fees for the extra service.
Here are the usual things to be inspected to the house and what will appear on the report of a standard inspection:
1. Foundation, framing, floor structure, ceiling and roof- they will be described, as well as the method used in inspecting but excludes any opinion as to engineering or architectural analysis and adequacy of any of the components.
2. Exterior components like siding, flashing, doors, attached structures (decks, balconies and porches, as well as their structural components), walkways, pathways, grading and drainage.
3. Roofing including its materials and drainage systems- describe the structure and the method used except for any accessories installed.
4. Plumbing system- describe all structures and their materials, including heating devices and their energy sources. Locations of the valves for fuel and water shall also be mentioned. Any individual appliance created into a system like washing machines, water conditioning, solar heating, sprinklers and anything alike will not be included.
5. Electrical system- describe and inspect all interior components, wiring and cabling, conductors, circuit interrupters, fixtures and switches, including their presence of smoke detectors and amperage and voltage rating. Anything that is not part of the main electrical system, alarms, automated services and measurement of the impedance will shall not be required to be included in the basic inspection.
6. Insulation and Ventilation- anything ventilation found in the attic, walls and insulation in unfinished spaces shall be described. However, the inspector shall not in any way manipulate or disturb the installed components.
7. Heating and Air conditioning- describe the energy system and the cooling and the heating systems.
Many inspectors can finish the whole process within 3 hours but actual hours vary depending on how big the property is. Within this span of time, you get an opportunity to understand more of your home structures and ask for any advices regarding potential problems.