30 Jun 08 
Home Inspection Checklist
If you are planning to buy a home, you are likely planning to sell a home too. One of the usual steps in the buying and selling process involves having your home inspected. Below is a list of commonly inspected areas of a home.
Many home inspectors will begin their routine with the home’s foundation. Cracks can occur from earth settling below, which can lead to moisture seeping through. If there are cracks in your foundation, be sure to have a professional contractor come and repair the problem.
Expect your roof to be given a thorough overview, as a damaged roof can lead to much bigger problems – often associated from water damage. Reroofing a worn roof can often add value to your home, but only reroof if it is absolutely necessary; otherwise have any damages repaired by a professional roofing contractor.
Once inside your home, an inspector will look for any obvious signs of damage to walls, ceilings, and floors – e.g. stress fractures in walls, water damaged ceilings, and cracked tiles or worn out carpet. Additional interior inspection will include checking the heating and air-conditioning systems, doors and windows, plumbing, leaking sinks, electrical fixtures, and electrical outlets – to ensure they are properly working.
If selling your home, be sure to have as many of these items fixed before your scheduled inspection to prevent having to do so afterwards. In today’s market, most problems that are discovered will likely need to be repaired before listing your property; or you may not receive your home’s full value upon selling.
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Tags: buying a home, foundation, home inspection, home inspection checklist, home selling tips, interior inspection, new home inspection, outside inspection, roof repair, selling a home
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I really enjoyed reading your blog. I was searching for real estate relevant sites when I found your blog, in fact I had been searching for a company to do a home inspection for me and I found a great company called http://www.homeinspectionspecialist.com ,much the same way as I found your site. Anyways they inspected my new house before I bought it and I found out a lot of things about it that I would have not known without the inspection. In fact their inspection report help me get over $40,000 off the asking price. I look forward to all the updates. Thanks again,
Jessica
Have the roof checked out extra good… look around pipe flashings, skylights, chimneys, any roof penetration is a possible leak point. Also, if buying a home with an upscale roof, be sure that the current roof has not gone through a class action lawsuit. There are several and you may find yourself uninsurable if you do not address a bad roof before signing the papers.
A thorough checking is essential…an aftermath can be avoided..especially roofs and walls.
Great article. Spending a few extra dollars to fix up your house will of course increase the value before you sell it. The profit you’ll gain will definitely be worth it.
Thanks For The Great Information Its just what I have been looking for.