Whether you are purchasing a Charlotte NC home or considering selling your property, real estate professionals recommend that you get a home inspection.  For buyers, the inspection will help shed light on potential problems that may not be easily seen on your initial walk through.  For sellers, a home inspection will point out what areas need to be taken care of, giving you the chance to fix them before placing your home on the market.  Since buyers tend to overestimate how much something will cost to repair by as much as double the actual cost, fixing these problems before you sell may help you negotiate a better sales price. 

What to Expect From a Home Inspection

A typical home inspection will review the following areas of your Charlotte NC home:

• Heating System (will not disassemble system but check that system is heating)
• Air Conditioning System (will not disassemble system but check that the system is cooling)
• Electrical System
• Interior Plumbing
• Roofing (will not go on top of roof but will inspect with binoculars)
• Chimney (visual inspection – will note if more involved inspection is needed)
• Attic (including visible insulation and vents)
• Walls
• Ceilings
• Floors
• Windows
• Doors
• Basement
• Foundation
• Crawl Space
• Decks/Porches
• Visible Structural Components

Please note that for all systems, the inspector will only test what is visible and will not open walls to inspect.

What Isn't Covered in a Home Inspection

A home inspector is not required to move any furniture or other structures in order to inspect what's behind it.  However, a good inspector will still do all they can to make sure they have investigated the property in question to the best of their ability, including moving pictures or other objects if possible.  The areas of the Charlotte property in question that will not be covered in a home inspection include:

• Septic System
• Sewer Drain Lines
• Phone, Cable or Satellite Equipment
• Burglar/Fire Alarms
• Personal Property (refrigerator and/or washer/dryer)
• Bugs/Termites
• Radon
• Mold (an inspector may notate it but is not required to test it)

Don't worry.  You can't fail a home inspection.  The point of the inspection is to let the buyer or seller know the condition of the Charlotte NC home.  Your inspector should give you pointers on what is in good condition, what should be fixed now and what may need repair at a future date.  This is information any buyer or seller can use in their real estate transaction. 

This post is meant as a guideline for buyers and sellers only.  I am not a home inspector.  If you want more information about home inspections, please visit the American Society of Home Inspectors' website.

Robin Husney, Your Charlotte NC Real Estate Specialist