Bid got accepted on a house, house inspection question

[Scott M]

Put a bid on a house yesterday and it got accepted today. Now we are hiring an inspector. The furnace, central air, vinyl siding, and roofing were all replaced or updated in the last 2-5 years. Since a lot of stuff is new, I don't expect to see much come from our inspection but I'm doing a contingent inspection nonetheless. What do inspectors usually get paid? I'm told it'll get wrapped into the mortage but I am still curious.

[only ice]

Not sure what they get now. But 8 years ago I paid $300.00. But its nice to know that your house is good and sound.

[Scotteye]

The cost of an inspection is generally $300-$400 depending on the sq ft. Generally speaking, inspections are not wrapped-in the loan (appraisals are often though)as inspectors are paid regardless of whether or not the property ever closes.

I hope this helps.

Scott Hutchinson

Coldwell Banker Burnet

[jwhjr]

I paid around $300 as well and it wasn't wrapped into the loan in my case.

[Roofer]

My bro-in-law does this on the side. He charges according to value of the home. Prices mentioned are close. He does a thorough inspection, but these guys are not trained or licensed, so don't expect too much from just any inspector.

Make sure you check through the house when they are done also. Lights may be on, attic accesses open, mechanicals turned off or on. Just a few things that are common. They are only human, but most of all they are normally not contractors or real inspectors. Private home inspection is a whole different game than a state inspector.

[Dozer]

Mine was $297 this spring. Pretty much a wast of money imo. The guy we had really didnt tell me anything I didnt already know. The only reason I even got one was because with our FHA loan it was required.

[Stratosman]

We bought a house in Febrauary and we didn't even have one...they just go through and check just about everything. From sockets to attic insulation...All the things I can do myself, and save $350 bucks..

Now it isn't a bad idea to get one, I was just confident in being able to check everything out myself...it was our 3rd purchase so pretty much knew everything they checked anyway.

[fishandshroom]

I paid 300 5 yrs ago I had to get it done because of the loan I would not do it otherwise. IMO they are paid to look for immediate problems they dont care about what kind of maintenance youll have. You need to do your own inspection and then add contingencies (new sewer shingles ETC)

[fastkaw]

If you wont a Furnace + A/C inspection call a HVAC company. Not a home inspector.

In 30 years I can't think of more then 1 or 2 home inspectors that had any

idea on how to inspect a Furnace or A/C Other then is it dirty or not.

This summer I had two calls from home owners that called a inspector. The problem, The out door A/C unit. (1/2 out) Now, if you read the instillation instructions

they say that the unit should be a little out of level. That way all the water drains.

Try to tell a inspector any thing. If it not in his book it ant so.

Long story short. Call a HVAC or Plumbing Co. for such things not a

home inspector..........

[Tom7227]

Just because things are new doesn't mean they were installed correctly. There could be code issues that involve things that aren't all that obvious but still a safety issue. In St. Paul the inspection is required and the inspectors are licensed. Mine alerted me to some serious issues and I wouldn't buy without one. Check with a big city you live near and see if they have a program that ID's the people that do inspections.

[hoggs222]

Our Real Estate agent paid for ours, I think it was around $300 also. He also brought by a few cases of beer a few months after closing.

[huntingislife]

Paid $425 in October. I felt it was worth it as the inspector came highly recommended and did a very thorough job.

[Redlantern]

What kind of guarantee does the home inspector offer? Look closely at the paperwork, he probably doesn't guarantee anything.

[IFallsRon]

Make the seller pay for the furnace inspection.

Make sure you're looking for potential code violations like exposed wires.

I'd make the seller clean all the drains, too.

[2 pounder]

Being a retired remodelling contractor,I will say this. Most inspectors are folks that couldn't make it in the trade. Their knowledge is sometimes limited to a short time involvment in the business.With that said,written inspection results are important ,just in case there are problems that raise their ugly heads up a short time later.Not knowing the age or condition of the property,that is all one can say. I really do reccomend you contacting a reputable contractor to give a second opinion,and one that is more than likely a more accurate opinion at that.Yes,it will cost you a few bucks,but better than getting stuck in a money pit. Good luck,live well and healthy.2

[Sandmannd]

Being a retired remodelling contractor,I will say this. Most inspectors are folks that couldn't make it in the trade. Their knowledge is sometimes limited to a short time involvment in the business.With that said,written inspection results are important ,just in case there are problems that raise their ugly heads up a short time later.Not knowing the age or condition of the property,that is all one can say. I really do reccomend you contacting a reputable contractor to give a second opinion,and one that is more than likely a more accurate opinion at that.Yes,it will cost you a few bucks,but better than getting stuck in a money pit. Good luck,live well and healthy.2

Bingo. There are good ones and bad ones. I would say you are looking at between $200 to $500 for an inspection. Make sure you are there with them. Make sure they get on the roof and check the foundation. You just never know what you find a few months down the road that was looked over.

[eurolarva]

If I had an inspection I would have seen this and maybe looked elsewhere. Since living here I have found numerous things that are interesting. This pic is the one that scared me most. This was a microwave oven over the stove with a vent.

[Surface Tension]

A retired remodeling contractor working independent and no ties to a Realtor would be a very good choice.

They would have "seen it all".

Get that report in writing. There might be a list of things that will have to be corrected before the sale.

There might also be things that legally or from a banks interest can be let go and they will not be divulged by the homeowner or Realtor. IMO those are what you want to know about.

To late now but that is something that should be done before an offer and earnest money was put down.

[Roofer]

eurolarva...situations like that is why they require building permits. Some people should not be aloud to work on their own house. Funny picture though, thanks for sharing.

An electrician showed me a something cool yesterday. He had a small bundle of wire that was welded together. He found it in a single outlet box. The wire stripping job was horrible, leaving too much of the bare wires exposed. Doing remodeling is interesting when you find things that people have done.

[spearchucker]

We had an inspection done on a house a few years ago. It only cost us $199 (a special). The guy pointed out many things that I never would have thought to look at. We walked through with him as he did the inspection. The nice thing about this is that the realtor wasn't there so we could really look things over without the realtor opening doors and turning on lights for you. Its amazing the things you find this way like light switched that come out of the wall when turned on, doors jams that were not installed correctly, re-roofing that was not done correctly. We put our offer in contingent on a home inspection and ended up not buying the place because I didn't want to fix all of the guys screw ups from doing his own work. Well worth the money for us. He spent about 3 hrs doing the inspection.

[WingDing2]

I will be precise and to the point. Cost of a home inspection is based on square footage of the the home. Be sure the inspector you hire is certified and has some years of exsperience. Payment is due on reciept of written report w/photos. Any problems that they find can usually be rectified prior to closing or within the time specified in your PA.

[Scott M]

Had the inspection yesterday. It was an independent guy that specializes in inspections. We got it done for $265, he went through everything, and I'll admit even a few things that I would have overlooked. Our home has newer AC and heating, new roof, new siding, etc. etc. Everything looked great, all we really found was a wasp's nest on an eave that needs some spraying and a few wiring issues that I could do (reverse polarity and GFCI switches). The guy had a 3 ring binder with printouts of everything in hand, including a special bonus in the back on basic home repairs and things to look for. I was pleasantly surprised. Closing will move forward in under 2 weeks. We pulled up some carpet that we were going to get rid of in the bedrooms and found nice oak floors. Bonus surprise.

[Down Deep]

Hire your own inspector after an interview and have them state their terms, warranties and qualifications. A home purchase is going to be the biggest purchase you will probably ever make, so do your due diligence. Don't let the Realtor or mortgage provider provide an inspector unless you approve. What does your contingency say about what qualifies as "passed". I agree that new doesn't mean properly installed. HVAC could have undersized units or worse. It is well worth a bill for a couple of hours of a trusted HVAC contractor. Electrical inspections by a professional is also money well spent.

[theygottabitesometime]

Some things to think about...How old is the home? If this is an older home that has been updated to code, chances are, this has completely changed the way the house now breathes and disapates moisture. I have seen serveral occasions that mold has begun to grow after replacing windows and siding. You can help reduce or eliminate this by simply leaving the furnace fan run, even when the funace or A/C are not in use.

Hope this helps.

[CrazyLabs]

Having an inspection is basically piece of mind when purchasing a home. 2 years ago, I paid $300 for an inspection of the home that we put an offer on. The inspection was a requirment of our mortgage company, but I think we would have done one anyway. He was very thorough and pointed out many things that needed to be addressed...all little, but still issues.

One thing to remember, is that the inspector is not liable if something big is missed. If the home has bad wiring, or leaky pipes and God forbid something happens that causes major damage to the house, the homeowner can't go back to the inspector because it was missed. That's why having an installer with good credentials is a must!