3 Extra Inspections That Are Important When Buying A Home
Are you in the process of purchasing a new home? If so, one of the most important steps in the process will be the home inspection. During the inspection, an experienced home inspector does a thorough walk-through of the home to see whether there are any areas that are damaged or in need of maintenance. You can then use that information to either back out of the purchase, renegotiate the price, or ask the seller to make the repairs.
A general home inspection doesn't cover everything, though. Here are three extra inspections that you may want to consider in addition to the general inspection:
Roof inspection. During your general home inspection, the inspector will take a look at the roof. However, he or she will do it from the ground. They'll look for sagging, loose shingles, and worn flashing, all of which are signs that the roof may have damage. They don't usually get on the roof to check things out up close. The reason is that climbing onto the roof is time consuming and may require safety equipment that they just don't have available.
Getting a separate roof inspection will give you more detailed information about the roof's condition. The roof inspector will get on the roof and check out shingles and flashing up close. They may discover problems that aren't visible from the ground.
Termite inspection. Your home inspector also probably won't check for termites because that often involves opening up a small portion of the wall. This is an important inspection, though, and probably not one you should skip. The big problem with termites is that they operate behind the walls and in darkness, so once you notice that they're there, they've probably already done a significant amount of damage. A termite company can take out a small piece of drywall and test for termites. If they're present, you'll probably want to have the issue resolved before you close on the house.
Septic tank test. Again, opening up the septic tank is usually above and beyond the areas that are included in a general home inspection. If the septic tank is full or is nearing capacity, you may need to have it pumped as soon as you move in. That's probably something you'll want the previous owner to take care of before they vacate the property. If the tank becomes clogged or full, you could have unpleasant smells in your home, drains that don't work, and even waste leakage into your yard.
Contact a septic tank pumping company in your area. They can inspect the tank and let you know whether a pumping is needed at this time.