Home Inspections

By doing your own Home Inspection you will know your new home better. You will better understand the working components of the home, by testing the appliances, following the instructions on running and testing the Furnace and Air Conditioner, Water Heater, etc. these instructions are included in Good DIY Inspection Reports.

When purchasing a DIY Home Inspection Checklist, make sure it is more than a simple fill in the blank checklist (without "how to" instruction.) Most reports on the market do not have instruction to guide you through a home inspection. A DIY Inspection Report should give you detailed instruction on how to perform an inspection on any of the many components one will find in a home.

You will find most hired Home Inspectors have many disclaimers built into their pre-inspection agreement and their report. If an issue is found with their inspection, they will want you to get a professional to look at it for their opinion, to eliminate the inspector's liability. If you were performing your own home inspection, and you found something it is suggested to talk to your Realtor and/or the homeowner. If their answers do not set quite right with you, you could call a professional to look at the problem, just as the hired inspector would do. Or elect not to make an offer on the house.

Things to remember when doing your own inspection:

oIt is a visual inspection only. If there is a need to see behind something, the homeowner should be asked to make the area accessible for further inspection. Respect for the home owner's property (home and contents), should be top priority.

oAfter testing the furnace and/or air conditioning reset the thermostat to where it was.

oElectrical breakers should not be tripped. With the electronics and computers being used, tripped breakers may cause major problems.

oWhen testing GFCI receptacles make sure they are all reset after testing. Freezers in garages are commonly using a GFCI receptacle.

oLeave the home exactly as you found it.