Neighborhoods

By far the most common home inspection performed in the industry today is
the Buyers Inspection. This is the home inspection bought and paid for by a
buyer involved in a real estate transaction, usually after an offer on the
property has been made. However, sellers and Realtors are beginning to see
the advantages of the Listing or Sellers Inspection, and homeowners can
protect their investment with regular Home Preservation Inspections and
Safety Audits.

In the Sellers or Listing Inspection the property is inspected before it is listed
and shown. In most cases, the seller buys and pays for the inspection. But in
some cases, an enterprising real estate firm may promote listings that are
already inspected and pay for the inspection itself. Advantages of a Sellers or
Listing Inspection include:

The seller gets a preview of issues that will turn up when a potential
buyer has the house inspected. The seller then has the opportunity to
have the issues corrected, or disclose the problems and adjust the
asking price accordingly.
If the seller decides to address issues ahead of time, the inspection
report and any receipts for repair work can be used as a powerful
marketing tool. This shows potential buyers that you care about your
home, and have made an effort to keep it in good repair.
Once the seller knows the true condition of the home, this information
can be used to help the seller and their Realtor determine an accurate
listing price.
The sellers agent can now market the house as a pre-inspected,
market ready property, Potential buyers are naturally attracted to
listings that have already had their issues identified and dealt with.
Helps the seller comply with full disclosure laws.

This type of inspection is not the same general inspection as the others. A
Review Inspection is performed for the buyer in a transaction after the initial
home inspection has been performed for the seller. The same inspector
returns to the property to review the initial inspection with the buyer, using the
sellers copy of the original Inspection Report. Advantages of the Review
Inspection Include;

The inspector and the buyer walk through the home in the order of the
report and discuss the findings noted. Any corrections, replacements,
and repairs to deficiencies previously stated can be verified at this time.
New findings can be noted in the report and initialed by the inspector,
and the inspector can re-inspect or test structures or components that
have been repaired since the original inspection.
Because the inspection is actually a review of a previously performed
inspection, in can be offered at a discounted price, which provides an
incentive to potential buyers.

This inspection is for a homeowner who is not involved in a real estate
transaction, but is interested in protecting the investment they have in their
home. This type of inspection is especially helpful in pointing out things that
need to be repaired, seasonal maintenance issues, and in giving tips on
avoiding problems.

Another type of inspection that we perform is the Builder's Warranty
inspection. This inspection can be performed for homeowners who have
purchased a newly constructed home. Most builders guarantee their homes
for one or two years. Home owners can have their home inspected just prior
to the end of the warranty period so that if there are any problems they can
take them back to the builder. This type of inspection concentrates primarily
on structural issues.

The Safety Audit is an inspection for homeowners interested in identifying
current and potential health and safety issues within their homes. This
inspection examines a number of items inside and outside the home including:
structural components of decks and porches; stairways, handrails and
guardrails; trip hazards; dryer vents; gas and fuel oil lines and storage tanks;
checking for carbon monoxide created by central heating and domestic hot
water systems; fireplace dampers; smoke and CO detector placement;
emergency egress; heating system vent pipes; electrical components;
temperature of domestic hot water; and much more.