Serving Larchmont Village, Hancock Park, and the Greater Wilshire neighborhoods of Los Angeles since 2011.

What to Expect When You Are Inspecting

Yikes! Save yourself these new home owner moments and take advantage of inspection period.
Yikes! Save yourself these new home owner moments and take advantage of inspection period.

The purchase of a home goes through several phases. You start with identifying a property to see (usually on-line) then seeing it in person for the first time. Then there’s the decision to write an offer, and the ensuing price negotiation…which can take hours, or weeks!

Once you enter escrow on a property you go through arguably the most critical phase – home inspections. This is your chance to dig deep into the home you’ve agreed to buy, and become as knowledgeable as possible about the various ailments the home may have and how costly some of the repairs may be.

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The scope of home inspections you perform can vary widely in both depth and cost, ranging from $450 – $10,000+, depending on the size home you are purchasing and the types of home inspections you choose to perform.

These are the home inspections a buyer will typically perform:

GENERAL HOME INSPECTIONS – Inspects all aspects of the home from a general point of view, inspecting the systems (plumbing, heat/air, electric, roof, foundation), operation of doors and windows, flooring, and overall construction quality. Cost usually starts around $400 and rises depending on building size.

CHIMNEY INSPECTIONS – Inspector runs a camera up and down the chimney(s) to look for cracks, structural deficiencies, and proper spark arrestor and damper function. Cost is usually approximately $200 per chimney.

SEWER LINE INSPECTIONS – Inspector runs a camera down the sewer line to look for cracks and structural deficiencies. Cost is usually approximately $250; more if there’s more than one sewer line.

GEOLOGY INSPECTIONS – Inspector evaluates the land upon which the house sits, looking for weakness or areas that could cause problems in the future. Cost is approximately $1,000, which typically includes visual observance and review of available documents.

DRAINAGE INSPECTIONS – Evaluation of the property in terms of how it handles the presence of water, and where water is diverted once it hits the property. Cost is approximately $250.

STRUCTURAL INSPECTIONS– Evaluation of the engineering and structural integrity of the property, including the foundation. Cost is approximately $750+.

Additional specialists a buyer may wish to consult: heating and air, mold, pool, roof, electric and plumbing.

medium_395877955When a buyer walks into a home for the first time it’s easy to get carried away and emotional – to fall in love with the location and certain aspects of the home, and start to envision yourself living there. And that’s great – buying a home IS emotional, and envisioning how the home works for you is part of the fun. But on that first visit to the house there are a few cosmetic items to look for that could offer clues to the overall condition of the home, including: condition of cabinets, wear and tear on flooring, condition of paint at ceiling and wall junctions, condition of exterior paint and windows, ease of opening doors and windows, and ceiling stains If you see items that fall into any of these categories it could be a sign that you’ll discover a lot more once a professional starts looking more carefully.

It is not uncommon to see various cracks in walls (exterior and interior) and ceilings. The cracks can occur for a variety of reasons and are not necessarily an indication of a serious issue, however, a structural engineer can definitively tell you whether the cracks are indicative of a deeper problem or not.

An inspector I consulted with suggested that the key items to look at, in order, are: foundation, roof, electrical, heat/air and plumbing. Some inspection companies can arrange all of those specialists to look at the home and present the buyer with one comprehensive report on the house condition, complete with quotes for necessary repairs.

Whatever path you choose, take advantage of the time you’re given to inspect the property, and get answers to as many questions as possible before it’s time to fully commit to the purchase. And remember that a keen eye during that first visit to the house can give you an indication of just how much work the house actually needs.

 

photo credit: Patrick Dockens via photopin cc

photo credit: chrisstorb via photopin cc

photo credit: TranceMist via photopin cc

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Chase Campen
Chase Campenhttp://www.larchmontliving.com
Chase Campen is a Realtor with Keller Williams Larchmont. A Windsor Square resident for the last nine years, he resides with his wife Angelique, son Hunter (9), and daughters Paris (9) and Scarlett (7). When he's not representing buyers and sellers of real estate, Chase enjoys giving back to the community in a myriad of ways. He's a Past-President and Advisory Board member of the Wilshire Rotary Club, belongs to numerous other organizations, and enjoys coaching little league teams across a variety of sports. To reach Chase, pick your favorite method: 323-788-4663, [email protected], www.larchmontliving.com, @chasecampen"

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