General home inspections are great for basic information on the property and to determine if additional inspections are needed. Additional inspections include:
- Asbestos – often found in older home heating systems, insulation, and vinyl tiles. The only way to know is to test the suspected material.
- Arborist – asses the trees health and structural condition.
- Chimney – many chimneys are fire hazards due to lack of maintenance (checking the flu for proper smoke disposal and repair interior cracking).
- Easements and Encroachments – the owner’s title policy will list all recorded easements. But not all encroachments will be listed and some will require a physical inspection. For that reason ask that the title company send you the easement document from public records.
- Electrical – assess potential hazards and costs for upgrading system to current code regulations.
- Formaldehyde – often found in rodent poisons, this invisible gas is known to cause cancer in lab test rats.
- Foundation – assessed by a foundation engineer, this inspection will identify if the property is shifting, settling, or sliding. Foundation issues are often seen by exterior cracking and floor sloping.
- Heating and Air Conditioning – assesses any problems that may be wrong with the system that could potentially save you and your family from toxic CO2 levels.
- Lead base paint – often found in interior & exterior paints of homes built prior to 1978.
- Lot size and Boundaries – found in a preliminary title policy: a plat map will show the boundaries and size of the lot. To verify this information contract a surveyor.
- Methamphetamine – local police, fire and health organizations track properties that were involved in meth labs. Hazardous materials contractor should be used to remove materials.
- Mold – found by testing the property’s air quality; various types of mold are known to trigger health problems such as allergies, infections, respiratory and immune disorders.
- Permits and Building – city planning department will be able to tell you what permits were pulled on the property. Sometimes people will remodel without proper permits.
- Radon and Methane Gas – often found in crawl spaces. A mitigation contractor can perform the test and recommend how to remove the pollutants from the property.
- Sewer and Septic – a camera is pushed through the septic line inspecting for cracks, roots, blockages and collapses.
- Soil Stability – assesses the soil condition, contaminations, and instabilities that may currently or eventually affect the property.
- Structural – assesses instabilities in the structure causing damage to the property. Instabilities are often seen by interior cracks and sloping.
- Square footage – square footage information will be found in public records; however this information may be inaccurate. To safe guard yourself an appraiser should be hired to verify the information.
- Pool and Spa – experts can determine if cracks are present as well as expected life spans on vital parts such as heaters, pumps and blowers.
- Roof – experts can determine an estimated life span of the roof. A good inspection will identify problem areas such as: roofing material, ridges, caps, drip edges, drains, downspouts, gutters, flashing, pipes and vents. Buyers should ask that older roofs be covered by a roof certificate insuring against defects.
- Termite – found in all regions; predominantly warm climates, wood eating insects can devastate a property. A proper pest inspection will identify problem areas made by wood eating bugs and dry-rot conditions.
- Water and Plumbing System – assesses potential problems in the plumbing system. Also identifies faulty pipes such as decaying galvanized piping that may be clogged or in need of an upgrade.
- Well – determine the overall condition of the well including the construction, water table and overall sanitation.
PERFORMING A SURVEY OF THE PROPERTY
Surveying determines the exact borders and space on your property. Surveying is a must when purchasing Land. In a residential setting boundaries are usually visibly marked by fences or scrubs. However the only way to determine exactly where your property stops and the neighbor’s begins is by performing a survey. It’s possible to survey your land yourself, but to determine the area of your property for any legal discrepancies; you must be licensed by the state.
CLOSE ON THE PROPERTY
After all due diligence is performed and your lending requirements are meet, it is time to close the deal! At this point we schedule a final walk through to verify all inspection demands have been fulfilled.
The day prior to closing a settlement statement will be given to all parties to review all financial information. This form is better known as a buyer’s settlement statement. Your lender will go over this form line by line discussing what each category means and where the money is coming from and where it is going.