Home Inspections - GET ONE

Posted at 12:37 PM, May. 21, 2007

Alabama is a buyer beware state, meaning that unlike most states in the country we don't have seller disclosure forms where the seller goes through and checks off everything they know about the property and passes that info along to the buyer.  Even if we did have those, I would still say GET A HOME INSPECTION! And even if you live in an area where those are the norm GET A HOME INSPECTION!

WHY?

Simply put, have you ever had a house that you knew everything about? Do you know when things are about to go wrong before they happen? NO.  Can a Home Inspector tell you that? Sometimes. 

The first house I ever bought was in a state where seller disclosures were the norm.  Here's what I know about seller disclosures... they really aren't worth the paper they are printed on.  Sellers can lie.  Sellers can check "I don't know" and as long as there is no documentation that they do know...no one can say otherwise.  Luckily, we did have a home inspection on the house we bought... and that home inspection discovered about 2grand worth of structural damage as well as a lot of other little things that the sellers didn't know about.

Whether you are in a "buyer beware" state or not it's safest to take the stance that it is in your best interest to know everything you can about the house you are about to buy.  You are the one who is going to be living in so shouldn't you know what you are paying for?

Here are a couple of myths I have encountered regarding home inspections...

1. I'm buying FHA so I don't need a seperate home inspection.  WRONG!  An FHA Appraisal is not a home inspection, it is an appraisal. There are very few items/ needed repairs that they will require to be made and that list is getting shorter by the day.  Really all they look for are major HEALTH & SAFETY issues (ie. is the roof about to cave in? Is it safe to live in?).  Don't expect that if you are getting an FHA loan that they will be doing a home inspection.  It is still up to you to have a home inspection and if you choose not to, then no one else is doing it for you.

2. I'm getting a home warranty so isn't getting a home inspection like paying for it twice? UM NO!  In fact, if you get a home warranty and a covered system is already bad when you buy the house, it may not be covered by the home warranty.  A Home inspection tells you what you are buying when you buy the house. It also gives you a last chance to have the sellers make necessary repairs to the home based on the home inspection.  According to our contracts here in North Alabama, a property is to be passed to the purchaser with all systems in normal operating condition, but if you haven't had a home inspection then how do you know if they were in normal operating condition when you bought it?  A Home Inspection is not a warranty, but it does tell you the status of the home as it is when you buy it. It also gives you a chance to get things fixed by the seller before you close.  A Home Warranty covers the house after you buy it, so that if something does go out later, it costs you a lot less.

For more info on Home Inspections, and a list of Home Inspectors in the North Alabama area click here.