Home Inspections Can Reveal a lot about a house.
In this article I am going to discuss the 4 Things Home Inspectors are looking for that Could Kill the Sale of Your Stockton House
If you are thinking about selling your House in Stockton there is a 98% chance that at some point it will be inspected by at least 2 home inspectors and 1 appraiser. This article will explain the 4 things that Home Inspectors are looking for in your house. It will also explain the level of experience and qualifications that home inspectors are required to have before they can make an assessment of any house. It isn’t very much.
Home inspectors are not required to be licensed in the State of California. In fact, most are not licensed contractors but, according to the California Real Estate Inspection Association “inspectors must have a minimum of 80 hours in inspector education. They may complete these hours through training in the classroom, online and in the field. A thorough training program includes how to identify and report defects in a home’s interior and exterior. Components the inspector must learn include the home’s structure, foundation, roofing, insulation, heating, cooling, ventilation, air conditioning, electrical and plumbing”.
For someone that is potentially so influential in most real estate sales transaction it stands to reason that they should be required to receive more extensive training, but they are not. In fact it is not a requirement that home inspectors have worked in any of the trades for any period of time.
Many real estate agents recommend that Sellers pay to have their homes inspected in advance of listing the house to find out what problems are most likely lurking before they accept an offer and eliminate the element of surprise. The logic seems sound, but sometimes the reports themselves are flawed and that could be why home inspections and appraisals are the number one and two reasons that real estate transactions fall apart.
It’s no secret that statistically more than 30% of all houses fail the inspection phase of the sales process and either the buyer backs out or the seller refuses to make the necessary repairs found within the inspection reports.
So what is it that home inspectors are looking for that could cause your house to become another negative statistic in the selling process? Is there a checklist of things that are predictable to use as a guideline and preempt a negative report?
- Real and Perceived Safety Issues:
- Smoke Detectors and Carbon Monoxide Detectors located as required out by code in each of the bedrooms and common areas.
- GFI located in the Kitchen, Laundry room, bathrooms and outdoor areas.
- Grounded Electrical Outlets throughout the house, even in older homes
- Safety Glass for windows and sliding glass doors
- Uniformity in the size of steps leading to and from the house.
- Window sizes that allow for exiting the house in the case of a fire
- Firewalls in attics between the garage and living area in connected structures.
2)The Perimeter of the House and its sub-floor (its Shell)
- The grading of the ground and drainage. Is everything moving away from the house?
- The foundation. Is there a foundation or footings? Are they intact or cracked? What do the piers look like if there are any?
- The condition of the Wood or stucco Siding. Are there cracks or is there dry rot?
- Are the windows sealed with silicone. Is the house waterproof?
- Is there dry rot surrounding the windows especially in the sill?
- The Roof: What is its age and condition? Is there venting and Flashing. It is sealed?
- Is there dry rot in the eves, the roof tails or the fascia?
- Wood Destroying Pests such as beetles and termites in the sub-floor and sub-structure
3)House Systems;
- The Heating and Air conditioning. What is the age and the type? What are the ducting materials.
- Are there leaks in the ducting?
- Are the units properly fused and wired?
- The Plumbing; What is its age and condition? Is there cast iron pipes? Are there any leaks that pose a problem for standing water, excessive moisture or dry rot and termites in the substructure and flooring of the house?
- The Electrical; How old is the panel. Are there fuses or breakers? What type of wiring? Is it grounded? Are there exposed Wires and junctions that are not properly installed in junction boxes and covered? Are there visible splices that are not properly connected?
4) The Venting:
- Can the house breathe? Are there sufficient foundation vents, roof vents, and vents in the eves. Are they obstructed, are the screens intact to keep small and large animals out?
The 4 Things Home Inspectors are looking for that Could Kill the Sale of Your Stockton House
Unfortunately, older homes have many flaws according to the home inspection handbook and it’s not because of the age or construction methods used at the time of construction. It is because most home inspectors don’t understand building techniques applied in older homes and in many instances they will cite a defect in a home based on 2016 building standards that are not a defect at all.
If the thought of selling your home keeps you up at night because of the fear of home inspections or repairs frighten you then you need to consider an alternative to listing your house with a real estate agent.
If you need to sell your house fast in Stockton but don’t want to hassle with home inspections, buyer contingencies, bank requirements and costly repairs, then consider selling your house to a Cash home buyer like me that will not require or ask or any inspections at all.
My name is Peter Westbrook and I am a local real estate investor in Stockton, CA. We buy houses in Stockton CA in any condition and we pay cash. Call me at 209-481-7780 or visit my website at http://www.westbrookrei.com and I will give you a no obligation all cash offer.