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3 Benefits Of Being Present At The Home Inspection When You're Purchasing A Home

19 August 2022

Margie Craig

Having an inspection performed on a home you're planning to purchase is vital. A home inspection can identify problems that will be extremely expensive to fix, such as foundation damage. You'll also be able to back out of the sale if you've made your purchase contingent on a successful inspection and don't want to fix serious issues, and you also have the option of asking the seller to repair any problems that are found or lower the selling price so you can fix them yourself.

Since a home inspection is such an important part of the buying process, it's a good idea to be present when your inspector is doing a walk-through of the home. To learn three benefits of being present at your home inspection, read on.

1. You'll Be Able to Ask the Inspector Questions About Their Findings

One of the biggest reasons to walk through the home with your inspector is that you'll be able to ask questions along the way. If you have concerns about a warped floor or a water spot on the wall, you'll be able to ask the inspector what potentially caused it. Asking questions during the inspection gives you a more complete idea of what may be wrong with the home compared to just reading the written report after the inspection.

2. You'll Have an Idea of What's Inspected and What's Not

By being at the home inspection, you'll get a better idea of the whole process. You'll be able to see what the inspector looks for while walking through the home and what they don't. Home inspections are very thorough, and they involve checking all accessible parts of the home like the attic and crawlspace. However, some things aren't part of a typical home inspection, like checking for mold — testing for mold requires taking samples and sending them to a laboratory, which is out of a home inspector's scope of work. When you're there with the inspector, you'll know exactly what will be included in the written report and what won't.

3. You'll See More of the Home Compared to a Real Estate Showing

At the inspection, you'll have the chance to see your potential future home in greater detail. If you feel like it, you can follow the inspector into the home's attic and its crawlspace if it has one, and both of these locations certainly aren't part of a typical real estate agent's showing. If you'd rather not get dirty, you can spend time measuring windows and floors and noting the measurements to create a virtual floorplan that can help you come up with an idea of how to arrange your furniture when you move in.

While you don't necessarily have to be present at the home inspection and can rely solely on the inspector's written report in order to make your decision about buying the home, walking through the home with your inspector will give you more insight about its condition. Most importantly, being able to ask questions during the walk-through will give you a better idea of what repairs it may need. If you're purchasing a home soon and are having an inspection performed, see if you can take time off of work in order to be present.

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