Home Inspections
One of the most expensive and important purchases you will ever make will be your home. It is also one of the few purchases that does not have a return policy, a money-back guarantee or a 100,000 mile warranty! Once you buy it ... it is yours!
It was not so long ago that home inspections were unheard of in a residential real estate transaction. Buyers relied on their own impressions, the seller and the seller’s real estate agent.
Today, Wyoming real estate purchase contracts contain a clause giving the buyer the right to have the home inspected. The contract should also include a remedy for any defects that are discovered (defects repaired, compensation for repairs, or contract can be renegotiated or cancelled without buyer loosing his/her earnest money, etc.).
We cannot stress enough the importance of an extensive home inspection by a qualified inspector. In our opinion, this should be done even on a new construction homes. There are buyers, in an attempt to save the few hundred dollars a good inspection will cost, that end up spending thousands of dollars to repair items a good inspection would have found.
Don’t let anyone – your family, friends, real estate agent or the seller – talk you out of a home inspection!
A home inspection is designed to disclose defects in a property that can materially affect its safety, livability or resale value. It is not designed to identify cosmetic defects (such as a wall that needs painting or a carpet that needs cleaned).
At present (to our knowledge), there is no uniform certification or testing requirements for home inspectors (with the exception of Texas). So … choose your inspector wisely! Ask friends, family members or other recent homebuyers for their recommendations. Another starting place to find a qualified inspector is to ask your banker, lender or REALTOR® for a list.
The hard part is selecting the best candidate for the job. Here are six factors to consider:
1 - Inspector’s qualifications,
2 -Extent of the inspection,
3 - Review a sample inspection report,
4 - References,
5 - Professional memberships, and
6 - Insurance, Bonded.
Note: While we are more than happy to provide you with a list of individuals that provude this type service in our area, we as a matter of policy do not recommend or endorse any individual home inspector or association.
