As the owner of a house, you must do some research to determine what questions to ask during a home inspection. Although this may sound basic, it is important to know these questions when going on a home inspection.
During a home inspection, a inspector will review several areas with attention. He or she will typically ask questions in order of most important to least. Thus, the inspector should ask about potential problems as they are discovered on the property!
Some topics that may be asked on the inspector’s report are: What appears to be wrong, why something appears that way, how it looks when empty, and what size room or space it makes up of. These questions can help potential buyers determine what the property looked like and whether or not it was adequate for their needs.
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What questions to ask during home inspection
When the owner of a property is sign-paling up to sell or rent the property, he or she should be honest and specific in their inspection.
When asking questions during the inspection, the property owner can also be asking themselves these questions:
What does this property look like on the inside? How do I feel about this place? What did I like and what didn’t I like about this place?
These questions serve as a way for the owner to get a detailed understanding of the place they are buying or renting. By asking these questions and having an open mind, you will be able to help determine if you want to live or buy in Bellingham.
While looking over properties, there should be no judgment nor advice taken, just asked.
What are the structural issues?
There are a few things that the home inspector should ask during a home inspection. These questions can help save you money in the long run.
When the inspector sees water damage, or an apparent tear in the walls, she or he should ask what type of insulation was used to seal the house up.
If there is significant moisture present, an evaporator may be needed to remove heat from the residence. These are small devices that plug into a wall outlet and maintain a consistent temperature within their confines.
An evaporator can cost as little as $5 and is easy to install. If it was necessary to purchase one, the inspector should be able to tell whether or not it was working well. After several years of use, it may need maintenance.
These questions can help determine whether or not the residence is worth spending money on.
Are there any potential maintenance issues?
Are there potential safety issues? For example, Are there potential dangers within the home or areas within the home that may be unsafe?
Home inspection is a great way to get educated about a home and its features. Home inspection can be pricey, but the inspector can help you with some questions about the home and potential maintenance issues, such as how to service a water heater or vent systems.
Having an inspector tour your home can be cost-prohibitive, which is why here are some questions that the homeowner should ask during a home inspection.
The first and most important question is, Are You Ready? Before an inspector begins any work, the homeowner should ask if they have any questions or concerns.
Does the paint look old?
When painting a room, it is important to ask questions about how the paint was applied, how it was sealed into the wall, and whether it has been replaced in case it wears out.
Some paints contain lead and/or mercury, which are dangerous if touched or ingested. Others are made with natural substances such as shellfish shells or cotton wool. Still others are designed to change color when exposed to certain products such as appliances or clothing.
As a rule of thumb, if a paint looks older than the room’s age, this means the owner probably installed some years ago and had no problems with color stability or durability.
Why this matters: As home owners, we spend a lot of time talking to ourselves about houses we want to live in. You know what? I am definitely going to talk to my husband about this house because I want it! It just makes sense that someone would look at a house and see its own personal value.
Are there any cracks in the wall or flooring?
If a house has a basement, this is an important question to ask! Basement houses are sometimes missing tiny sightlines, stairs, or areas that are inaccessible due to the structure. Make sure to ask about this!
Downstairs houses are sometimes more expensive than upstairs houses because of the additional space. This may be worth it if the house has great value.
If a house has a lot of windows, make sure they are quality glass and/or wooded for privacy purposes. If there is an attached garage, make sure it is sturdy enough to hold all the cars and appliances needed for homeownership.
Make sure to ask about any hidden water sources or utilities.
Is the lighting sufficient?
Is the window and furnace seals good? Are they functional?
Home inspection is a great way to learn more about a home’s systems and how they work. If a system is not functioning, you can tell by the house’s look or feel.
Some questions to ask during home inspection include:
Does the owner keep up with repairs and updates?
Is there solar power available on the house or solar panels? If so, how often does it need to be topped off?
Does the owner keep up with bugs and possible infestation situations? Bug problems are one of the most noticeable things about a home that needs attention.
Are the outlets and switches working properly?
You’re checking out the equipment in your home, so are the inspectors. When doing a home inspection, both the inspector and homeowners can find areas that are working properly and those that are unclear.
Often times, small problems such as a broken down nook or dryer lint issues can be overlooked until another issue arises. If a water heater is functioning poorly, then a water filter may help prevent future problems.
As a homeowner, you should ask the inspector questions to gain more insight into what issues they noticed. If there was an issue that stood out to you, ask what reason it might have caused concern.
Many times issues are fixable with minor changes made by the owner or me as owners. An experienced home inspector can help determine if these issues are fixable without taking any major action but also teaches owners how to do so.
Are there sufficient electrical outlets?
There should be at least two working electrical outlets and a circuit breaker in every room, and one non-electrical device (such as a computer) should be plugged into one of them.
These areas can be labeled as the bedroom, kitchen, living room, etc. As a rule of thumb, the more rooms in a house, the more outlets there should be.
An important part of inspecting an electrical system is identifying blown fuse boxes. It is very difficult to tell whether an outlet has been connected because of a fuse box or which fuse box has been cut off.
If there are cut-outs in existing wiring, then you can connect your new wiring to them to make it look like new wiring! This is called upgrading or replacing old wiring with new wiring. When doing this, make sure not to remove any power lines or fixtures to do so.