What is the purpose of a home inspection?

When it comes to home inspections, many people don’t quite see the point. A home inspection is seen as yet another thing that complicates the home buying process and costs more money. Buyers can view it as unnecessary, and it’s another headache for sellers. In fact, many people would rather skip the whole thing. But a home inspection, among other reasons, offers the buyer an invaluable perspective. A home inspection helps you decide which “problems” to buy. What do we mean by this?

Problems you buy vs problems you don’t

Typically, a home inspection is paid for by the buyer in a home-selling situation. The home inspector performs a “visual and non-invasive” examination of the property, which provides a third-party, neutral perspective on the true condition of the property. A good inspection should empower the homebuyer to purchase, or not purchase, with confidence!

After the inspection, the inspector will create a report that lists what the inspector inspected and what issues they found or areas where they anticipate potential problems (no house is perfect!). Additionally listed on the inspection report should be safety hazards and any limitations to the inspection. Inspectors may also include their specific recommendations on what to do about these problems. For example, they may detail an issue with a retaining wall, and then suggest having a professional structural engineer do a maintenance check.

Home Inspectors Must Stay Within Their Scope of Practice

It’s important to note that home inspectors are limited in how they inspect properties and communicate those findings. A simplified definition of what a home inspector does is inspect a residential property in a visual and non-invasive way only, then communicate the facts (and nothing more) while directing the homebuyer to the next best professional for evaluation, and repair or treatment. All inspectors at Forever Home Inspection are InterNachi certified and adhere to InterNachi’s Scope of Practice.

How to Use the Home Inspection Report

More than any other stage of the home buying process, the home inspection pulls into sharp focus the needs of the buyer and the truth about the purchase. With this report, the buyer is equipped to evaluate if the house is still an investment to proceed with. Perhaps a few roofing issues aren’t a deal-breaker, but foundational issues are. Or maybe, for the price of the house, the buyers anticipate it being a fixer-upper, versus another set of buyers who want a house that is “move-in-ready” and can’t put time or money into the house. A home inspection helps you choose which problems you are willing to take on by buying the house, and which problems you aren’t willing to take on.

There is no such thing as a perfect house. There is the right house at the right time for the right buyer. — Dylan Chalk

What can Forever Home Inspection Do For You?

Forever Home Inspection serves all of Oklahoma and Iowa with thorough and knowledgeable home inspections. Our professional home inspectors are some of the best in the biz, working hard to give every client high-quality service, which is the foundation of our stellar reputation. We have simple flat-rate pricing, so you know exactly what you’re paying for, and we use an intuitive system called Spectora, which makes it easy for you to read and interpret your reports. Let us help you find your forever home.