If you are looking to buy a property for your family, you probably visit a house you like, take a peek inside the rooms, check the bathroom, see if the kitchen is big enough, and that’s it. Like everybody else, you rely on the home inspection to deliver thorough work because that is what it is for, right? But just how thorough are home inspections in reality?
This will not be comforting to hear but there are gaps in a typical home inspection. Unfortunately, when overlooked, these gaps could prove to be costly. Here are the top problem areas that are missed by home inspections:
- The Roof
This is the first on the list, perhaps because home inspectors are actually not legally required to physically inspect a roof. Of course this means that the amount of work put into checking those roofs are very limited. For this reason, majority of the insurance claims of homeowners are roof-related.
- HVAC
Now for this one, you cannot really blame the inspector if components of your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system stopped working sometime after you have just moved in. Why? The only test done and could be done by inspectors is to see if your HVAC unit is functioning at the time of the inspection. How long it remains working, however is quite beyond his responsibility.
- Flooring
Obvious signs of wear and other potential issues in sight are what inspectors are checking for. But there may be flooring issues that are hidden under carpets and tiles! Floors underneath these coverings might be warped or spongy, meaning the home has a moisture problem. That could be a very expensive problem too.
- Water Problem
Unless the home inspector is using an infrared camera to be used for detection of moisture intrusion, you will probably never find out that your home is waterlogged until disaster strikes after some time. You see, external water damage is easy to detect. However, you should be worried about damages that are hidden within a house’s walls. Because certified home inspectors are not required to use infrared cameras, not everyone has them. It might do you good to find an inspector who uses one.
These are only four of the top problems that are often missed by the usual home inspection. What can you do about it? If you can, get yourself a certified roof inspector, and HVAC and flooring experts to address these specific areas. What you would probably spend to pay these professionals won’t even amount to half of what your expenses could be if any problems are overlooked when you buy a house.