The Best Way to Evaluate Your Home’s Health
The spring and summer months are a busy season for home buyers, sellers, real estate agents, and home inspectors. While this time of year sees an increase in home inspections related to the buying and selling of homes, home inspections can be done at any point during the year, even if you’re not considering listing your home or buying one. There are a number of reasons why you may want to get a home inspection, and this guide outlines the purposes, benefits, and processes of home inspections for current homeowners.
Purpose of Home Inspection
The primary purpose for a home inspection is to identify any problems with your home’s structure and function and issue a clean bill of health. Although a home inspection is usually required when purchasing a home, many potential home buyers are waiving the home inspection requirement in order to make their bids more attractive to sellers. But, if you’ve noticed that something seems a bit off in your home, a home inspection can provide peace of mind or inform you about the repairs or renovations your home needs.
Ultimately, a home inspection is designed to reveal any and all potential issues to inform you as a homeowner about the true condition of your home and what needs attention, what needs to be worked on, and potential risks that you may not be aware of. The California Real Estate Inspection Association defines home inspection as “a health checkup for your house,” and it includes examining the following areas: the roof, foundation, basement, and structural components; electrical, HVAC, and plumbing systems; walls, ceilings, doors, and windows. The home inspection also includes assessments of each room in your room and results in a final detailed report listing any issues that turn up.
Technology as a Tool for Home Inspections
In order to identify issues with your home’s structure that cannot be perceived with the naked eye, home inspectors use an arsenal of high-tech tools. One popular tool is the infrared thermometer, which scans the electromagnetic spectrum to show how temperatures are distributed across a particular area of the home. For example, an infrared thermometer helps identify cold spots around windows in a home’s interior, which can indicate poor insulation. An infrared thermometer can also locate hot spots within walls that come from overloaded or overheated wiring components.
An infrared thermal imaging camera can also function as a moisture detector that can show areas of moisture damage in places like basements, bathrooms, kitchens, or laundry rooms. During a home inspection detecting excess moisture build up is the first step to solving potential issues involving plumbing leaks or mold.
Objective, Unbiased, and Helpful Information About Your Home
A home inspector’s primary job is to reveal the true condition of your home by showing you what you cannot detect on your own. While you may have an inkling that your basement is experiencing moisture damage, only a home inspector can use special tools and equipment to confirm the extent and severity of the leak and its origins. A home inspector does not financially benefit from any particular result of an inspection, so your home inspection report is objective and unbiased, and only intended to keep your home’s systems functioning at optimal levels. Costs for a home inspection can start around $800, and increase based on the size of the property.
If you’re curious about what kind of shape your home is in, or have a feeling that some part of your home needs attention, call South Sound Inspections today to schedule an appointment.
