Buyer's Home Inspection Checklist Comes in Handy

Before you do a home inspection, carry a home inspection checklist with you.

Although your home inspector will undoubtedly work from his or her own inspection checklist, there is no guarantee that the items you expect to be checked out will come to the attention of the home inspector. That's because some of the components you may think will be tested may not pertain to the guidelines set forth by the home inspector. For example, if the inspector can't reach a blocked area under the house or if a heavy stationary object prevents access to certain areas -- such as a wardrobe cabinet blocking a window -- a home inspector is generally exempt from covering those areas in the report.

There seems to be a common misconception floating around that real estate agents refer only those home inspectors who will not disclose defects, and that home buyers should not choose an inspector recommended by an agent. The agents I know refer only accredited home inspectors because they want their buyers to know all the facts. If a problem is discovered later, you know who the buyer will blame -- the agent.

I suggest that buyers hire a home inspector who belongs to a respected home inspector association, an inspector who receives continuing education and will produce multiple-page reports with photographs, not a skimpy two- to four-page handwritten home inspection report . . . read more about home inspection checklists.

More Articles by Elizabeth Weintraub, click below:

• Finding a Home Inspector
  
• Attic Inspections
  
• Wet Basements

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