Buying a home is perhaps the largest, most important purchase you will ever make. When you commit to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a home, you want to be sure that you know exactly what you are getting yourself into. Hiring a home inspector to look at the home may be an upfront expense, but it can save you a lot of money in the long run. Here is a list of three of the most common ways a home inspector can save you money.
A Home Inspector Can Identify:
1. Roofing Issues: A bad roof can cause serious problems inside and outside of the home and can cost $8,000-15,000 or more to replace, depending on the size of the roof and materials used. Many homeowners will try to sell a home with a roof that needs serious repair or needs to be replaced soon. The inspector will find any problems and ensure that either the seller takes care of it or the price is reduced.
2. Plumbing Issues: Plumbing problems can be very expensive, and because you cannot see them, you may not notice them. Something like a leaking pipe in a wall can cause mold and water damage to large areas of a house. Persistent leaks can also cause expensive structural damage to the home. Though most home inspectors don’t have a crystal ball, a good home inspector has a trained eye that can see signs of problems like these that can help identify the root cause of issues that aren’t always obvious.
3. Structural Issues: Issues with the foundation or the structure of the home can reduce the life of the home and may even require a complete overhaul. Structural problems can be expensive, and they can put your family in danger and cause even more problems for the home that you will need to repair. A home inspector will check that the structure of the home is sound before you commit to buying it.
When push comes to shove, a home inspection is always the right move.