When you are buying a home, a home inspection is fairly routine and usually fairly straightforward. An inspector goes into the home you plan on buying and looks at everything from the the roof to the foundation, and everything in between. Towards the end of the inspection, the inspector walks you through the property (or shows you pictures they took) and point out various issues and their severity.
We had our inspection a couple weeks ago and I was very pleased with the inspector we chose. He was *extremely* thorough and took nearly 400 pictures. We spent over two hours going over things with him (and this was for a house that had very few issues…did I mention he was thorough?). I was glad he went into the detail he did, though, as this is our first time purchasing a home and learning about the detailed maintenance that we will need to do on a regular basis.
While there are some obvious things you notice after visiting a house, there are some things that only inspectors are going to notice during their thorough inspection of the property.
Some of the more important issues that our inspector found were:
- Two small windows in the basement were cracked
- There is almost no ventilation in the attic, hence why the shingles were warped
- Basement faucet leaked
- Complete lack of GFCI protected outlets
Thankfully we are getting a new roof, a plumber to fix the faucet, and the cracked windows replaced. Bonus: They will all be paid for by the seller. Besides that there were not any major issues.
Overall I had a few takeaways I had from the inspection process:
1) It’s all about the water
How you manage water in and around your property is one of the single most important contributing factors to how good of a condition it stays in. A lack of management of the water will lift and destroy concrete, potentially causing foundation issues later on. If water is managed well, a house will stay in a much better condition over the years vs. a house that has poorly managed water.
2) It’s essential to keep tabs on attic ventilation
If your attic isn’t ventilating air properly, the roof isn’t going to last nearly as long as it could. The problem with the roof on the house we are buying is that there is essentially no ventilation in the attic; the insulation in the attic is covering the vents. Because of this, the shingles on one side of the house were morphed. Managing the air flow is essential.
3) Houses require a never-ending amount of maintenance
If you want your home to stay in the best condition possible, you will need to spend a significant amount of time on maintenance. While this may be obvious, through looking at homes primarily built in the 1970s and earlier, a lot of homes haven’t necessarily been maintained as good as they could have been (or maybe it’s just the ones on the market right now, I don’t know). From windows, to gutters, to landscaping, to keeping dirt and debris buildup near doors and other areas, the list is endless.
I’m fairly certain most homeowners don’t spend nearly as much time on upkeep as our inspector was recommending, but like most things it’s a matter of priorities and how you want to spend your time. Anything can be fixed/replaced for a price, but upkeep and maintenance can help avoid these costs. Again, it’s about priorities.
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The main purpose of a home inspection is to make sure that the buyer is fully aware of what they are getting themselves into. There will always be issues with a home; it’s a matter of how big these issues are and what costs (time and money) are involved.
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Photo by Justin Baeder
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They always find so much stuff that needs fixed during a home inspection! The home inspection for our first house made me feel like it was falling apart. The good news is that most things are able to be fixed!
@Holly at ClubThrifty Yeah that is the good news. Anything that is falling apart can usually be fixed (even the foundation, though I’m pretty sure most inspectors would tell you to run away if the foundation was crumbling…).
Very good to know! I’ve always wondered the best way to pick a home inspector…some are very thorough and others, I’ve heard, just rush to get the job done, but they may charge less. Which wouldn’t be a good thing long term. Do you use Angie’s list or something?
@femmefrugality I actually just had a referral from our real estate agent and they ended up doing a GREAT job! They gave us three referrals. One of them we immediately threw out because he doesn’t take pictures. Of the other two, the one they said was more thorough (or in their words VERY thorough) we went with.
This is all new to me. I am a renter, but if I plan on purchasing soon this is all great stuff to read over prior to buying. I would have never though that the attic needs ventilation, honestly.. what? Lol
@VeronicaHill79 Haha don’t feel too bad, I am learning a TON going through this process. I found it somewhat frustrating trying to find good advice online (especially about the lending process). Hopefully I can add some good content for people to read before they go into it.
I was glad he went over the attic with us. I probably wouldn’t have thought much of it if he hadn’t. Instead, we are getting a new roof because of the warped shingles and I will be spending some time up there making sure the ventilation is working.
Sounds scary!!!! So much work on maintenance.
@SavvyFinLatina Yep lots of maintenance, probably why people are willing to move far, far away from the cities to have a newer home ;)
Great list of takeaways. It’s been a few years since I purchased a house, but I remember those being key points when I did the walk through with the inspector. Inspections are one thing you don’t want to skimp on. They can pay for themselves many times over!
@MilkandHoneyMoney Definitely, I don’t even miss the $300+ that he inspector charged. Worth every penny.
I’m astonished that people actually buy property without an inspection. They do point out every little thing. Even if it doesn’t need to be fixed right away, it’s nice to know what isnt perfect. I knew we found the right inspector when he asked ten minutes worth of questions before he even saw the house. Well worth the money.
@Eyesonthedollar I know it really is crazy that some people don’t get an inspection, though I do know some cash investors who spend a lot of time inspecting the property themselves before putting an offer on. I guess they trust themselves, though I think a second set of eyes is good no matter what.
It is amazing how much maintenance homes require and how much of it gets neglected. I think it’s funny that car maintenance is given a lot more attention when home values are much higher.
@Home Maintenance Tracker Very true!