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Showerthought: I used to think a home inspection was just a formality
When my wife and I first started looking at houses in our area, we saw the inspection as a box to check, something the bank made us do. We just wanted to get it done and move on. That changed completely after we looked at a cute bungalow last fall. The inspector found active termite damage in the main support beam that the seller had painted over. The repair quote came in at over $15,000. We walked away, obviously. Now, I see the inspection as the most important step. I follow the inspector around, ask a million questions, and treat it like a four-hour class on the house. It saved us from a money pit. Has anyone else had an inspection find something that made you bail on a place you really liked?
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jennifer2044d ago
Oh man, ours found a cracked heat exchanger...
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jamie_carter875d ago
My first home purchase, I basically saw the inspector as a guy with a clipboard making a list for the seller. It seemed like a silly step. That changed fast when ours pointed out a roof that looked fine but was actually at the end of its life, which the seller hadn't mentioned. Getting that estimate was a real wake-up call. Now I treat inspection day like the most important research I'll ever do on a house.
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terryw675d ago
Exactly right, @jamie_carter87. A good inspector is looking at the bones of the place, the stuff you'd never see. It's not just a list for the seller, it's your only real chance to understand what you're buying before you're stuck with it. That roof story is a perfect example. You learn what to actually watch for and what questions to ask. It turns a scary process into something you can manage, because you know the real problems.
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