What Really Matters Buying a home? The process can be stressful. A home inspection is supposed to give you peace of mind, but often has the opposite effect. You will be asked to absorb a lot of information in a short time. This often includes a written report, checklists, photographs, environmental reports, and what I will say during the home inspection. All this combined with the seller's disclosure and what you notice yourself, makes the experience even more overwhelming.

Most of your inspection will be maintenance recommendations and minor imperfections. These are nice to know about.

However, the issues that really matter will fall into four categories:

1. Major defects. An example of this would be a structural failure.
2. Things that lead to major defects. A small roof-flashing leak, for example.
3. Things that may hinder your ability to finance, legally occupy, or insure the home.
4. Safety hazards, such as the lack of GFCI protection where recommended.

Anything in these categories should be addressed; either prior to closing or soon after taking possession of the home. Often a serious problem can be corrected inexpensively to protect both life and property (especially in categories 2 and 4).

Most sellers are honest and are often surprised to learn of defects uncovered during an inspection. Realize that sellers are under no obligation to repair everything mentioned in the report.

No home is perfect. Keep things in perspective. Don't kill your deal over things that don't matter. It is inappropriate to demand that a seller address deferred maintenance, conditions already listed on the seller's disclosure, or nit-picky items.

If you are like most, you have saved every penny, cut costs, and have lived without certain things in your quest for your first home. Choosing your home inspector by price alone should not be one of those times to cut expenses.

This is probably the biggest and scariest investment you will make. You have spent countless hours looking at homes and finding the one you want. You should do the same when hiring your home inspector. You should not choose one based on price alone. Rather, choose one that understands your position, one that will take the time necessary to do a complete and thorough inspection and one that can and will spend the time with you when you have questions or don't understand something.

Home inspection prices will vary widely from the very inexpensive to very expensive, and if you are price shopping, call me at 817-441-9598, or review my Fee Information page for help finding the right home inspector.

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