When it comes to buying a house, you might get swept away in all the planning, the dreaming, and the hurry to get packed and close your offer. There is at least one thing to do before closing the deal on your home and moving in, though: a home inspection.
Since many houses can hide big problems, it’s important to get a professional to look over your home before you finalize anything. Even if the seller has already hired a home inspector, you should still hire your own to ensure no problems are hidden.
But what does a home inspection in Orlando cover? There are many different aspects of the home that a home inspector will look at. In this guide, you’ll find a list of what a home inspector will check for and why it’s necessary.
Home Inspection Checklist
Home inspectors will look at different things on the exterior and interior of your house. It will depend on your state or county for what the standards a home inspector may be held to, but they should all be relatively similar.
Depending on what a house may have to offer, certain services may or may not be included. For example, if the house has a garage, some house inspectors might ask that you pay extra to include it in the report.
It always depends on the house and the inspector, but here are some of the most basic expectations for a home inspection.
Exterior
Some of the things a home inspector will check on the exterior of your house include:
- Foundation: Any cracks, nearby trees, basement, floor structure, and possible movement.
- Roof: All gutters, downspouts, roof coverings, overall structure, signs of leaks, and the condition. A roof inspection will also include skylights and chimneys your house has.
- Yard: Proper drainage, driveways and walkways, fences, grading, and eaves.
- Other Structures: If your house has a shed, porch, balcony, or other type of structure outside, a house inspector will also investigate the quality and condition of them.
Interior
Moving onto the interior of your house, a home inspector will do a professional and thorough check of all of the following:
- Appliances: If your home has an oven, stove refrigerator, dishwasher, washer, dryer, microwave, or other type of appliance, a home inspector will carefully check and make sure they all function well.
- Electrical: All electrical outlets and wiring will be checked for any faults. This includes switches, lights, fans, grounding, meter and base, and the electrical panel.
- Plumbing and sewage: Any plumbing work done as well as water quality, pressure, faucets, and drainage.
- Heating and AC: If there is a built in heating or cooling system, home inspectors will make sure it works properly, check H/VAC, and search for any strange noises.
- Structure: All windows, doors, and flooring will be checked and closely inspected. Inspectors will look for signs of sagging or bowing as well as whether everything is correctly aligned.
- Garage: In the case that the house has a garage, a home inspector will look at the slab, ceiling, walls, any windows, doors, lights, and opening system.
Conclusion
Hiring a home inspector is very important for home buyers as it’s easy for sellers to hide potentially dangerous or problems that are expensive to fix. When you hire a home inspector, you know that you’re getting honest, professional input on the structure and quality of a possible home.