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Houston Home Inspection Service
Real Estate Property and Residential Home Inspection
Services in the Houston Texas metro areas including
these Texas Counties: Harris County, Montgomery County,
Fort Bend County and Waller County. EMail
us today for a Houston Certified Home Inspection!
By: Houston Professional Home Inspector, James Walker
Certified by NACHI
What Is A Home Inspection?
A professional home inspection is a visual inspection
of the structure and components of a home. The home
inspector will look for items that are not functioning
as intended, items that are unsafe or are not within
the guidelines of the “Standards of Practice” established
by the Texas Real Estate Commission. If a problem or
symptom is found with the property, the home inspector
will include a description of the problem in a computer
generated report and may recommend further evaluation
by a specific trade (structural engineer report).
Why is a professional home inspection important?
Home Buyers: The process of buying
a home can be stressful. A home inspection is supposed
to give you peace of mind, but often has the opposite
effect. Emotions often affect the buyer and make it
hard to imagine any problems with their new home. A
buyer needs a home inspection to find out all the problems
that may exist with the home before moving in.
Home Sellers: An increasingly competitive
housing market and a slower economy are driving an increased
focus on home and property value. Hiring qualified real
estate professionals is the first step toward gaining
the advantage. Becoming more involved in the process
yourself, learning as much as you can, and providing
your own extra effort may be the difference that puts
your home in the "must have" category.
If you have a home for sale you may choose to have a
thorough inspection before, or when, you first list
your home. Pre-inspected homes allow the seller to take
control over negotiations. You and your realtor will
be effectively armed with the right information to negotiate
a fair value for your home. You will save money and
hassle by knowing now what your defects are, not after
you have already negotiated and are faced with costly
repairs discovered on the buyers inspection. Defects
found before the buyer comes along allow you to shop
around for a contractor and not deal with inflated estimates
that a buyer will present. Most buyers will want the
seller to fix defects found on the home inspection or
try to drop the price of the home. Buyers generally
try to negotiate two times the actual cost of repairs
needed. With a professional home inspection, the condition
of the home is taken into consideration during the original
offer, eliminating re-negotiations.
What if the report reveals problems?
All homes have problems, even new homes. The only question
is how serious are these problems? Good home inspectors
understand the difference between major and minor problems
and will communicate that difference. Every problem
has a solution. Solutions vary from a simple fix of
the component to adjusting the purchase price but having
a home inspection allows the problem to be addressed
before closing.
What does a home inspection include?
With One Source Real Estate Inspections, a home inspector
report will review the condition of the home's components
listed including:
Inspection of Structural Systems
House Foundation
Grading and Drainage
Roof Covering
Roof Structure & Attic
Walls
Ceilings and Floors
Doors
Windows
Fireplace/Chimney
Porches, Decks and Carports
Inspection of Electrical Systems
Service Entrance and Panels
Branch Circuits-Connected Devices and Fixtures
Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning
Heating Equipment
Cooling Equipment
Ducts and VentsBathroom Exhaust Fans and/or Heaters
Whole House Vacuum Systems
Garage Door Operators
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Inspection of Plumbing System
Water Supply System & Fixtures
Drains, Wastes, Vents
Water Heating Equipment
Hydro-Therapy Equipment
Inspection of Appliances
Dishwasher
Food Waste Disposer
Range Hood
Ranges/Ovens/Cook tops
Microwave Cooking Equipment
Trash Compactor
Other Built-In Appliances
Inspection of Optional Systems
Lawn Sprinkler
Swimming Pools & Equipment
Outbuildings
Outdoor Cooking Equipment
Gas Lines
Water Wells
Septic Systems
Fire Protection Equipment
Door Bell & Chime
Dryer Vents |
What Should I NOT Expect from a Home Inspection?
A home inspection is not a home warranty,
implied warranty or protection against future failures.
Stuff happens! (Ask Forrest) Mechanical components like
air conditioning units and Heating Systems can and will
break down. A home inspection tells you the condition
of the component at the time of the home inspection.
For protection from future failure, I always recommend
a real estate home warranty policy.
A home inspection is not an appraisal
that determines the value and square footage of a home.
A good home inspector will not tell you if you should
buy this home or what to pay for this house.
A home inspection is not a code inspection,
which verifies local building code compliance, although
the home inspector must be well versed in current codes.
A home inspector will not pass or fail a house. They
will follow a “Standards of Practice” established by
the “Texas Real Estate Commission” (TREC). Home inspectors
are required to inspect every home as if it were built
today. Consider it a way of educating the home buyer
of what they are buying into. Home inspectors will report
findings when it comes to safety concerns that may be
in the current code such as no GFCI outlets at sinks.
A home inspector thinks "Safety" first ..
not "Code" when performing a home inspection.
Should I attend the home inspection?
I have learned from experience that participation enhances
your home inspection experience. Being present enables
you, the client, to achieve a better understanding of
the inspector's findings and an in-depth view of the
property you are purchasing or selling. Being present
also enables you to benefit from the educational tour
at the end of the inspection with regard to the maintenance
and upkeep of the home. Be sure to give the home inspector
time and space to concentrate and focus so he can do
the best job possible for you, but never hesitate to
ask questions at anytime during the process.
How to Select a Home Inspector
What questions should I ask or things to know about
hiring a home inspector?
Make sure your home inspector is licensed
by the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC).
Ask for his license number! Then ask these questions:
Does your home inspector carry General liability
and Errors & Omissions Insurance for your
protection?
Can I see a sample home inspection report?
Always request a copy of a sample report to make sure
it is detailed and easily understood. A good home inspector
will want to show you the type of inspection reports
he writes. If you cannot understand the report or if
you feel there is to much fluff or useless information
that some reports contain you probably will not read
your own report and may miss important information.
A home inspection should include a comprehensive report
that describes what was inspected and the condition
of each inspected item. The best reports are created
using home inspection software that includes digital
pictures and comments specific to your home. No hand
written reports!
When and how do you deliver the report?
Home inspectors will often deliver the report the same
day or within 24 hours of the inspection. Email delivery
of reports is often the most common and efficient way
of delivery. Real Estate Agents, Mortgage Loan Companies
and out of town clients prefer email delivery instead
of non-legible faxes or costly overnights.
How much do you charge? Real estate
inspectors will give a free estimate of cost if you
answer a few questions about the property. But just
as you wouldn't choose a surgeon based on lowest price,
neither should you choose a home inspector on cost alone.
You may not want the costliest inspector either. Weigh
price against answers to your questions and your impression
of the inspector during a phone call. Then go with your
gut feel, and you'll likely make the right choice.
Is the home inspector a member of a professional
Home Inspection organization such as NACHI
National Association of Certified Home Inspectors, where
members are required to adhere to strict standards of
practice and continuing education?
A home inspection services company should provide information
to the client to give them the ability to go into negotiations
with the knowledge that their decisions are being made
from an informed position.
What REALLY Matters in the Home Inspection
Process
Buying a home? The process can be stressful. A home
inspection is supposed to give you peace of mind, but
often has the opposite affect. You will be asked to
absorb a lot of information in a short time. This often
includes a home inspection written report, checklist,
photographs, environmental reports, and what the inspector
himself says during the inspection. All this combined
with the seller's disclosure and what you notice yourself
makes the experience even more overwhelming.
What should you do? ... Relax. Most
of your inspection will be maintenance recommendations,
life expectancies and minor imperfections. These are
nice to know about. However, the issues that really
matter will fall into four categories:
Major defects. An example of this would
be a structural failure.
Things that lead to major defects.
A small roof-flashing leak, for example.
Things that may hinder your ability to finance,
legally occupy, or insure the home or real estate property.
Safety hazards, such as an exposed,
live buss bar at the electric panel.
Anything in these categories should be addressed. Often
a serious problem can be corrected inexpensively to
protect both life and your real estate property investment.
Final Home Inspection Advice:
Most sellers are honest and are often surprised to learn
of defects uncovered during a home inspection. Realize
that sellers are under no obligation to repair everything
mentioned in the home inspection report. No home is
perfect. Keep things in perspective. Don't kill your
deal over things that don't matter.
Click here for a Home
Inspection Checklist of 10 things you can check
for yourself!
Do you have a question to add to our Home Inspection
FAQ? Or would you like to sign up for our Home Inspection
Newsletter? EMail OneSource
Real Estate Inspections today!
Professional Inspector Licensed by Texas Real Estate
Commission. TREC #6563
Serving the Houston Metro Areas and beyond including;
Houston Texas, Houston Metro Area, Downtown Houston,
Northwest Houston, North Houston, West Houston, Southwest
Houston, Bellaire, Brookshire, Champions Area, Lake
Conroe, Cypress, Fulshear, Magnolia, Houston Memorial,
Missouri City, Montgomery, New Caney, Jersey Village,
Kingwood, Harris County Areas, Houston Heights, Humble,
Katy, Pearland, Spring, Stafford, Sugar Land, Tomball,
University Park, Waller, West University, The Woodlands
and The 1960 Area.
For more information, or to schedule
a Houston Home Inspection call us anytime:
One Source Real Estate Inspections, Your Certified
Home Inspector in Houston
Member, National Association of Certified Home Inspectors
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