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INSPECTION PROCESS
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How and What is Inspected
Whether
you are a home buyer, seller, or owner, Chosen Home Inspections
performs every home inspection the same caring way. We ensure that
you are represented well and give you, the client, confidentiality.
Using the latest technology in equipment and software including our
experience, professionalism, and integrity, we are here and ready to
meet your home inspection needs! Your inspection will be unbiased and
be assured that you will have all the facts you need to make an
educated and informed decision. We take our business very serious!
If you are not completely satisfied with your home inspection or
report within 30 days of the inspection, we will refund your money!
Depending on the age and
size of the home, a home inspection will take a minimum
of about 2 hours to perform. Accessible roofs and attics will be
walked and crawlspaces will be entered with everything in between
inspected that’s accessible. Here is a list of what we inspect:
Interior:
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Walls, Ceilings, Floors. |
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Counters, Built-in Cabinets. |
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Steps, Stairways, Balconies, Railings. |
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Signs of Water Intrusion. |
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Exterior:
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Siding, Flashing, Trim. |
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Decks, Balconies, Stoops, Steps,
Porches, Railings. |
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Vegetation, Grading, Drainage. |
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Retaining Walls (to their effect on
the dwelling). |
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Eaves, Soffits, Fascias.
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Roof and Attic Area:
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Visible Framing, Insulation,
Ventilation. |
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Roof Covering, Flashings, Chimneys,
Penetrations. |
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Drainage Systems. |
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Signs of Water Intrusion.
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Floor Structure:
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Foundation Area. |
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Visible Framing, Piers, Ventilation, Insulation.
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Signs of Water Intrusion or Moisture.
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Fireplaces:
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Gas Logs. |
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Fire Chamber. |
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Damper. |
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Visible Flue. |
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We Also Inspect and Operate the Following:
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Heating System and its Components. |
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Air Conditioner and its Components. |
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Plumbing Fixtures and Components,
Water Heater. |
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Electrical System including Electrical
Panels, Visible Wiring, Receptacles, Lights, Switches,
Ceiling Fans, Smoke Detectors. |
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Windows and Door Assemblies. |
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Built-in Appliances. |
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Ventilation Systems. |
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Garage Door Openers. |
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AND MORE! |
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Tips
to Have Accomplished Before a Scheduled Inspection
Our
goal is to give you a quality and thorough inspection. To meet this goal,
we request the following be available or accessible if possible:
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All utilities including gas pilot lights and
electrical breakers should be turned on. |
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Attics, crawlspaces, electrical panels,
water heaters, heating and air conditioner units, windows, and
doors should be accessible. |
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Deadbolt locks for doors be unlocked. |
Here are some other helpful hints you may want to consider having done
prior to your inspection:
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Replace HVAC filters and clean return ducts
behind the filter and ensure floor ducts are free from dirt or
debris. |
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Replace any damaged or missing HVAC supply air duct registers. |
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Clean range exhaust filters if there is a
greasy build up. |
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Ensure smoke detectors are working. If
smoke detectors are not present, recommend installation. |
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Ensure all windows open properly and none
are sealed or painted closed. |
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Replace any missing or burnt out light bulbs. |
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Replace broken or missing light switch or
outlet cover plates. |
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Clean rain gutters and downspouts if
present. |
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Tighten loose door knobs and ensure all
locks on doors and windows are working properly. |
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Replace worn weather seals around doors and
windows if applicable. |
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Replace damaged or missing door stops. |
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Tighten loose or install missing hardware
for the attic pull down stairs if applicable. |
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Caulk around exterior portion of door and
window frames if needed. |
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Trim back any tree limbs that may be
touching or is near the roof and remove vegetation that is
touching or growing on the side of the home. |
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Repair any visible or known plumbing leaks,
any rotten or damaged exterior wood, and visible roof coverings
that may be damaged.
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Pre-Sale Home
Inspections for Sellers
Home
buyers can be picky, choosy, and sometimes unwilling to negotiate when
it comes to repairs. Having a pre-sale home inspection before or
after
placing your house on the market will help ease the process of selling
your home. A pre-sale inspection provides you the
opportunity to receive an evaluation of your home in its current
condition by an unbiased third party. Additionally, the
inspection helps pave the way for a more qualified sale and assists
you in getting the most buck out of your sale. In fact, more
Real Estate Agents are recommending pre-sale inspections knowing that less stress will occur with a
quicker sale. Here are some other facts to think about:
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An inspection prepares the home to improve its
marketability. |
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Inspections may reveal concerns allowing you to make
repairs ahead of time reducing delays at closing. |
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Buyer’s concerns and suspicions may be relieved with an increased
awareness to help promote a sense of trust between you and the
buyer. It signals the buyer that you are a conscientious
seller. |
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If repairs are needed, you now have the time to decide to correct
problems or re-evaluate the sales price of your home based on the
cost of repairs. |
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An inspection can give you the information needed to disclose the
home’s condition eliminating the negotiation of the sales price. |
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It may encourage the buyer to waive the inspection contingency. |
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It may alert you to items of immediate personal concern and safety
issues before agents and visitors tour your home. |
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The sale is less likely to dissolve compared to a buyer’s inspection. |
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An inspection and its report can be used as a marketing tool to help sell your home. |
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Pre-Purchase Home
Inspections for Buyers
Buying
a home can be a stressful ordeal. After all, it’s probably one of the
biggest purchases you will ever make. With that being said, a home
inspection will give you ”Peace of Mind” on the current condition of
the home that you are in the process of purchasing. Most sellers are
honest and often unaware of some defects that are uncovered during an
inspection. Understand that sellers are not obligated to repair
anything that may be mentioned in an inspection report. My advise is
to keep things in perspective. No home is perfect. Don’t allow minor
defects found by an Inspector to “Kill a Deal.”
What about new homes.
Should they be inspected? Absolutely!!! No home is
perfect!!! Don’t let a new home that is fresh and looks great
fool you. Let an Inspector go beyond that freshness and
appearance and if that Inspector digs hard, he/she will find something.
I've
inspected a lot of new homes over the past few years and I've never
found a perfect home! Here are some defects I've found on new
homes with their potential implications:
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Receptacles wired improperly (electrical
shock). |
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Floor joists completely cut or partially cut
out of limits (floor settling). |
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Roof shingles improperly installed
(roof leaks). |
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Waste lines not installed under the home
(sewage spilling on the ground
and rotting the wood structure
to include mold growth). |
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Heating and air conditioning ducts crushed,
torn, and/or disconnected. Ducts also seen within the crawlspace
or attic going to a room with no register seen within the interior
of that room (heating and air
inefficiency). |
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Clothes dryer venting into the crawlspace or
bathroom exhaust fans venting into the attics
(increased
moisture with the promotion of
mold growth). |
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Wires exposed from electrical junction boxes
(safety hazard). |
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Wires not installed correctly in electrical
panels (safety and possible
fire hazard). |
All these defects were
found on new homes that passed mandated codes and were inspected by
local municipalities and contractors. Don’t let anyone talk you out
of an inspection! Here are some other things to think about:
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A home inspection will help give you “Peace of Mind” on one of the
biggest purchases you will ever make. |
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You will be given data from your Inspector to help you make educated and informed
decisions. |
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Potentially costly repairs can help negotiate the sales
price. |
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Again, no home is perfect!! Shortcomings can even exist on new homes that have
passed mandated codes. |
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Home Maintenance
Inspection for Homeowners
Your home is probably
the largest investment you will ever make. So, it is even more
important to maintain that investment just as you would your own
vehicle. Homes are exposed to different environmental elements that
can cause deterioration over a period of time. Additionally,
components and their systems can
change due to normal wear and tear, and daily personal use.
Any of the before mentioned issues can happen within a short period of
time, therefore proper and on-going maintenance is essential to
retaining and increasing the value of your home. Preventative home
maintenance can help you prevent more costly repairs down the road.
How do you know
something is wrong with your home to begin with? Licensed Home
Inspectors are trained to uncover issues that a homeowner may not
see. If issues are found early enough, most home related problems can
be addressed before those small issues become large problems. We
suggest a Home Maintenance Inspection every 2 years.
A
home maintenance inspection is performed in the same manner as our
standard home inspection and we will generate the same easy to read
comprehensive report with photos of all areas of major concern.
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1-Year Builder’s Warranty Inspection
This inspection is designed for homes that are less than a year old
and coming up at the end of the builder’s warranty. Its purpose is to
identify potential defects that you can address to your builder before
your warranty expires. If we performed your initial inspection, the
builder’s warranty inspection will be performed in the same
manner—thorough and detailed. The inspection should be accomplished a
couple of months before the end of your warranty to allow your builder
to make repairs during the warranty period.
You may be asking, “Is this inspection really necessary since I had an
inspection performed prior to purchasing my home?” Yes and allow me
to explain through my own personal experience. I bought a new home and performed my own inspection. Almost a year later, I
performed another inspection and found my master bathroom shower
leaking into the crawlspace which was beginning to cause wood rot to
the floor structure. This never existed during the initial
inspection. Not caught early, this leak would have caused major
damage to my floor with a high cost in repairs!!
You may also be asking, “How can this happen after having a
professional home inspection?” Components and their systems can
change over time through normal wear and tear, and daily use.
Additionally, a home’s condition can change due to its exposure to
various environmental elements which could cause different types of
deterioration. Furthermore, homes can possibly settle slightly which
can also trigger some defects. Lastly, unfortunately, things can just
happen. Even a new vehicle can experience some problems months after
driving off a dealership lot.
Builders do not call to remind you that your warranty is about to
expire, and they do not come back to perform an inspection. Your
builder is responsible for most defects during the first year and we
can help you find those defects.
If
we performed your initial home inspection and you would like another
inspection before your 1-year warranty expires, we will take 10% off
the regular home inspection fee.
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Helping
the Realtor
You and your clients
come first and we are here to help anyway we can! This is what you
can expect from us in helping you and your client:
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We know you work long
hours and we are here to assist you 7 days a week. |
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Inspectors will be
professional, on-time, courteous, and neatly dressed. We want to
help you maintain a professional and long lasting reputation.
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Rest assured, your
client will receive a thorough and detailed inspection and report to
help make educated and sound decisions. |
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We will convey our
inspection findings to your client in a professional and
non-alarming manner. We will not give hints that the real estate
transaction should be dissolved. We believe in educating the client
and not using scare tactics. |
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We are here to answer
questions and concerns at AND after the inspection. We know you
work hard to achieve a client for life and we want to be part of
that process. |
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You can expect
confidentiality from us. We will not release inspection findings to
others without permission from you and/or your client. |
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