We were
encouraged by some of our friends who own rental properties to get a home inspection
before buying our house. So we did just that. Home inspections are a few
hundred dollars depending on where you’re located and the age and size of the
home. Because we wanted to stay within a certain budget, we researched
different home inspectors online, and called a few to ask about pricing. We
finally got in touch with a local inspector from the National Bureau of Home
Inspectors who we liked. He was willing to work with us on the price and
agreed to do the entire inspection for only $300.
Here are a
couple reasons we’re glad we had an inspection:
1.
We saved
thousands! Our inspector found two major issues with the house: the furnace
didn’t work, and the roof was at the end of its life. So we were able to take these
things back to the seller and negotiate more money out of the deal.
2.
Peace of
Mind! Having an inspection allowed us to rest easy at night knowing what
was and what wasn’t wrong with the property.
One tip when
looking for an inspector: Always negotiate the inspection price, especially in
our current economy. Most inspectors are willing to negotiate, because they
want your business. But make sure the inspector you go with is experienced and
has a construction background. It never hurts to ask them about their past
experience over the phone.
Using the
right inspector will help you find all the issues with the house, and if there
are any issues you will have some bargaining power when it comes to negotiating
with the seller.
