I’m sure you’ve heard some version of the following: You don’t know what you don’t know or Ignorance is bliss.
Screenwriter and director Stephen Chbosky admitted, “It’s much easier to not to know things sometimes.”
I get it, there’s a time for every season and learning new things. However, each of these effectively allow the speaker to bury their head in the sand. In the case of future homeowners that don’t do due diligence there’s great potential for big surprises after they close. Fortunately, those are few and far between with most buyer’s hiring a licensed, professional home inspector. A home inspector advises the buyer about mechanics of the house that are not working as intended, as well as suggest if further evaluation is warranted. It’s important to remember that the inspector is a “jack-of-all-trades” rather than an expert in any.
Inspection reports cover the range of functions from sprinklers to dishwashers and loose tiles to nail pops. All parts of the inspection are important to review and understand, however, there are 5 components agents are particularly interested in when reviewing with their client as these points often require more expert intel.
Foundation. The two types of inspections in North Texas are pier and beam, or post-tension cable slab. When touring the home, the inspector will look for wall-cracks, slanted floors, separating mortar as well a possibly do measurements to see if there’s greater than a 1” slope from a zero point measured out to 20’ or less.
HVAC. The inspector will run the system and take in and out temperature for both heating and cooling. A delta-t of under 15 degrees or over 22 degrees will trigger a “not working as intended” notation on the report. Note, if the outside temperature is under 60 degrees, the cooling system may not be able to be run.
Plumbing. All faucets, shower heads and commodes will be checked for pressure and leaks. The inspector will also look inside the cabinets where there’s a water source. Unfortunately, refrigerators and washer/dryers are outside the scope of an inspection so their plumbing is not likely review.
Electrical. Using a receptacle tester, the inspector will check the voltage of wall outlets. Lights will be flipped on and the electrical panel cover taken off to check wiring.
Roof. Barring a dangerous slope, inspectors will visually check shingles looking for tears, granular loss, and hail hits. They will also peak inside the attic to check for water seepage and staining to determine if there are any leak concerns.
One caveat to inspections … an inspector’s errors & omission insurance is likely going to prevent them from moving furniture away from the walls to check plugs or tools that are blocking water heaters. It’s helpful for the buyer and agent to note any access concerns while touring and ask the listing agent to advise the seller to help the inspector do their job and move items if possible.