9 Reasons You Should Get a Home Inspection

Home inspections are a must when buying or selling a house—we know this. However, there are plenty of reasons to hire a qualified home inspector, even if you aren’t planning on buying or selling soon.

Maybe you want peace of mind knowing that all systems are working as they should or simply that the major rainstorm last month didn’t cause any hidden leaks.

Many experts recommend having your home professionally inspected every two to five years. Here are nine money-saving reasons why home inspections are a good idea for homeowners, buyers, and sellers alike.

1. Catch Potential Problems Early

One of the primary reasons to get your home inspected by a professional inspector near you is to catch repair and maintenance problems early. A simple issue, such as a leaky kitchen faucet, can turn into a full-on flood if left unaddressed.

Plus, an inspection can also catch more serious problems that you may not see, such as missing roof shingles that could lead to leaks or pest infestations that are happening behind your walls. 

Early detection can save thousands of dollars as well. Regular home inspections help uncover these issues before they have a chance to grow and put a huge dent in your bank account. The inspector’s written documentation on the condition of your home will also help you budget for future renovations and repairs.

2. Get an Honest Evaluation of Your Home

Most home inspectors have no ulterior motives and won’t attempt to sell you unnecessary equipment, tools, or repair services. This means you’ll get an honest and unbiased evaluation of your property (warts and all).

To get the most impartial home evaluation, make sure your inspector doesn’t have any affiliations with the contractor that may end up working on your home. Also, talk to your contractor to confirm they aren’t affiliated with the real estate agent who may sell or list your home in the future.

3. Let a Professional Look Everywhere You Don’t Want To

Nobody enjoys heading into a dark crawl space, an unfinished basement, or that forgotten corner of the attic. However, problems can creep up in those areas just as easily as in other places in your home. A good inspector will go over every inch of your property, even the parts covered in spiderwebs.

4. Perform a Radon Detection Test

Radon is a natural, odorless, colorless gas that enters homes through foundation cracks and can cause serious respiratory problems. There's no way to know you have radon without performing a test, so be sure to include it as part of your overall home inspection package. If it’s not, you can hire a local radon inspector to investigate.

If your home gets a clean bill of health, you’ll rest easy. If the inspector finds increased levels of radon, they’ll have actionable suggestions regarding mitigation.

5. Prevent Mold Growth 

Mold. Just hearing the word is enough to send many homeowners into a panic. It breeds easily. It smells awful. It’s tough to remove. Plus, certain types of mold can cause health problems if left untreated.

Mold loves moisture and humidity, so it often lurks in hard-to-find areas of your home like basements, attics, crawlspaces, and other nooks with exposed plumbing. But luckily, a qualified home inspector can locate mold spores in the tiniest crevice and spot it before it grows into something more serious.

6. Check Major Systems

Home inspectors will pay special attention to any potentially dangerous components of your property, including your electrical system. They’ll examine your system in detail to ensure it is working properly and that it poses no additional risk to your family.

A home inspector can also conduct an HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) inspection to ensure that the heating and cooling systems are functioning properly. This includes checking for any potential safety hazards, such as gas leaks or faulty electrical connections, that could put the occupants at risk. An HVAC inspection also helps assess the system's efficiency, which can impact energy costs and the overall comfort of the home.

If your inspector uncovers a problem in its early stages, you can hire a qualified electrician near you or a local HVAC technician to address it. 

7. Helps Reveal Illegal Additions

In a perfect world, everything in a home would be up to code and permits would be pulled for all construction projects. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case, and it’s best to find out if anything in a home you want to buy or sell isn’t in compliance with regulations. A home inspection can ensure any additions, upgrades, or changes meet code requirements.

If any unpermitted work is discovered, you may need to retroactively pull a permit, have the work inspected, and possibly pay a fine in order to be compliant. For homebuyers, unless you’re buying a house as-is or waiving an inspection, unpermitted work or add-ons that aren’t up to code can quickly bring a house purchase to a halt.

8. You Can Negotiate Repairs

If you’re buying a house, the pre-sale home inspection puts you in a good position to negotiate for repairs or a price reduction before the sale goes through. Knowing what issues a house has allows you to adjust your offer to include either having those problems fixed pre-sale or reducing the price to allow you to get necessary repairs or replacements after the sale goes through. 

9. Relatively Inexpensive

Home inspections cost an average of $300 to $425, which can be a small price to pay for the peace of mind of knowing what problems a house has. Most problems will only get worse with time, leading to costly repairs or replacements. Hiring a home inspector to identify issues early on with a home inspection allows you to make timely repairs, saving you money in the long run.