Let\u2019s review the pros and cons of each route and what price tag you can expect to pay for professional home inspection services.<\/p>\n The buyers of your house will schedule a professional home inspection before closing<\/a> to make sure they aren\u2019t inheriting any surprises with their purchase. This is par for the course\u201495% of buyers opt to get one<\/a>.<\/p>\n A home inspector<\/a> then visually evaluates every square inch of a home, recording details about its main systems and components, such as the condition of its plumbing, roofing, electrical system, HVAC, and exterior grounds. The inspector also notes any health or safety concerns.<\/p>\n This can take an average of two to four hours because home inspectors examine nooks and crannies that many homeowners forget about or infrequently use. In a few days time the home inspector will compile their findings into a home inspection report<\/a> noting any issues they\u2019ve identified.<\/p>\n The average cost of a home inspection nationwide is $315<\/b><\/a>, <\/b>according to HomeAdvisor, but this varies by home size, your local real estate market, and the home inspector\u2019s experience. Some inspectors charge a base fee for a home up to 2,000 square feet<\/a>, then charge an additional fee per, say, each additional 500 feet.<\/p>\n Home inspectors are knowledgeable, but they\u2019re also generalists. Depending on where you live, your home might require additional inspections (pest, radon, electrical system<\/a>)\u2014or require a specialist if the home inspector thinks a defect is beyond his or her knowledge. \u201cIf they see structural damage<\/a>, they have to refer it to a structural engineer,\u201d Beard said.<\/p>\n If you have a friend or relative who is a certified home inspector, that person may be willing to inspect your home for less before you list, but asking may be awkward. Randi Beard<\/a>, a top-selling real estate agent in Asheville, North Carolina<\/a>, says her husband is a home inspector, but she doesn\u2019t ask him to inspect her clients\u2019 properties because of the conflict of interest.<\/p>\n She also respects their expertise.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re a profession, just like a plumber or a CPA,\u201d she said. \u201cAre you going to ask that person for a discount?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n That said, there are discounts available. If you\u2019re a military veteran, a teacher or rescue worker, several home inspectors, like the ones that Beard uses, might offer you a reduced price.<\/p>\n Greystone Inspection Services<\/a> of St. Louis, Missouri, for instance, offers $50 off residential home inspections for firefighters, EMS, law enforcement, and health care professionals, as well as teachers and military veterans. The discount is part of the Homes for Heroes, Inc., program<\/a>, a nationwide network of about 2,600 real estate and mortgage professionals since 2009.<\/p>\n Other inspectors offer promotional discounts and coupons. Groupon<\/a>, for instance, listed a home inspection from one merchant in the St. Louis and Richmond Heights areas of Missouri for about half off the regular price: $150 to inspect a home of up to 1,500 square feet; $200 to inspect a home of 1,500 to 2,500 square feet; and $275 to inspect a home of 2,500 square feet or larger.<\/p>\n Some home inspectors also will perform an inspection at a reduced fee if examining the same property more than once, Beard said. For instance, an inspector who uncovers a problem may inspect the same home again at a lower cost after any repairs to note that the issue has been rectified.<\/p>\n Even if you\u2019re not a home inspector, there are some things that should start your homeowner\u2019s repair senses tingling. If you\u2019ve noticed moisture in your attic or on the ceiling, or if you\u2019ve become used to that drip around the showerhead, be aware that you\u2019ll likely need a professional repair before selling.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve rounded up a DIY Home Inspection Checklist<\/a> to clue you in to other possible problems. While this isn\u2019t a substitute for a professional inspection, it does highlight frequent trouble spots. For instance:<\/p>\n Because they walk through all properties before listing, experienced real estate agents can and do notice obvious issues. They won\u2019t climb into attics or crawl spaces with flashlights, but they will notice things they can\u2019t ignore, such as when Tuscon, Arizona, real estate agent Alicia Girard<\/a> recognized the pencil-thin tubes dangling from one client\u2019s ceiling as a sign of subterranean termites. (Girard, fortunately, had a trusted pest inspector<\/a> on speed dial.)<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes I can walk into a house, and I can be like, \u2018OK, we\u2019re gonna have some issues here\u2019 because they\u2019re so visible,\u201d Beard said.<\/p>\n But she doesn\u2019t like to speak beyond her expertise and put her clients at a disadvantage. \u201cBecause Realtors have liability, it\u2019s not something that I try to cross over into very often,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Some sellers opt to get a pre-listing inspection to list a property with more certainty of what they\u2019re getting into, but that does mean you\u2019ll be on the hook to cover the costs of 1) the inspection itself, and then 2) any necessary repairs (which if you don\u2019t fix, you\u2019ll have to disclose).<\/p>\n Because lenders like to know that buyers are getting a good investment and not a money pit, buyers typically are on the hook to pay for it. That\u2019s one reason that \u201csome sellers are like, \u2018Just let the buyer do it, and we\u2019ll figure it out as we go,\u2019\u201d Beard said.<\/p>\n To offset sellers\u2019 costs, Beard said she\u2019ll sometimes suggest holding off on specialty inspections, such as for radon and pests, until a home inspector determines they\u2019re necessary. These inspections cost additional fees and again can take a few hours.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of times, what we\u2019ll do is, we\u2019ll go ahead and schedule our home inspection but maybe not schedule our pest and radon [inspections] until we do the review with the home inspector,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Especially if your house is older, a pre-listing inspection<\/a> can help you identify which repairs to make upfront, as well as give you an idea of what the buyer\u2019s inspection will uncover.<\/p>\n The more experience an inspector has, the better. So even though price-shopping is tempting, unless you\u2019re eligible for a discount, don\u2019t let any savings cloud your choice.<\/p>\n \u201cTrying to save $10 when you\u2019re inspecting potentially a million dollar property makes no sense whatsoever,\u201d said Nick Gromicko<\/a>, founder of the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI<\/a>), one of the largest online resources that provide certification for inspectors and education to consumers.<\/p>\n Check an inspector\u2019s certification and experience through your state, if available, or through an association such as InterNACHI or the American Society of Home Inspectors<\/a> (ASHI). Also look over their testimonials and reviews, and confirm that they have errors and omissions insurance<\/a> that covers any mishaps on your property during the inspection.<\/p>\n Your real estate agent is a good resource for trusted, qualified home inspectors<\/a>. You also can check reviews on consumer websites, including:<\/p>\n \u201cI really feel that having someone who is really reputable and has done a lot of inspections is important,\u201d Beard said. \u201cHere, there are new inspectors who are popping up every day, and they just don\u2019t have the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Home inspections understandably can be nerve-racking, but try to view them as a way to put your home\u2019s best foot forward. \u201cMost sellers want to pass on a good house,\u201d Beard said. \u201cI love it when sellers want to have an inspection before listing because I think it puts them at ease.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We know there\u2019s no such thing as a free lunch, but what about a free home inspection? As a homeowner, … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":600,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogs"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/free-home-inspection-computer.png\")
<\/a>What does a home inspection involve, and what does it cost?<\/h2>\n
How can I save money during the home inspection?<\/h3>\n
<\/a>Can I spot issues that would come up in a home inspection myself?<\/h2>\n
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Will my agent alert me to any red flags?<\/h3>\n
Can I wait for the buyer\u2019s inspection?<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Pay the few hundred bucks for a professional pre-listing home inspection<\/h2>\n
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