Before You Sign on the Dotted Line: Conducting Your Own Home Inspection

With home prices at historic lows, Largo residents in the market for a first-time purchase or those seeking to upsize or downsize can find great deals. Though most people think that getting a mortgage is near impossible, that isn’t the fact.

Truth-be-told, lenders are approving home loans, though the requirements are more strict. But aside for the mortgage itself is the home you choose to purchase.

The scenario is the same regardless of size and budget: you diligently scour the Internet for potential homes and visit them to get a real-life feel for each place. Once you’ve settled on a house in the Largo area, you call a home inspector. His report will guide your decision whether or not to make an offer: it’s either a green light situation or a red light disappointment.

“The goal of a home inspector is to find and disclose any material defects”, says Bret Racine of Gulf to Bay Inspection Services.

So before you plunk down a couple of hundred dollars for a professional, you might save yourself some money and nail-biting anticipation by conducting your own mini-inspection. Its not difficult and can be done when you first tour the house.

This will give you a heads-up about what might be in-store should you purchase the house. And don’t make the mistake of thinking a new construction home isn’t worth the time or effort, warns the Independent Home Inspectors of North America or IHINA. There is always the possibly the builder cut some corners to get the home finished and ready to sell.

“Smells tell a lot of the story”, Racine states. Look for mold and mildew in places it does not belong. While you may expect to see some mildew in the bathroom, on bedroom walls its out of place.

Here’s a rundown of the things a home inspector will routinely check, most of which you can do yourself:

• Turn on/check the appliances, including the air conditioner
• Turn on the hot water in a faucet or shower that is furthest away from the water heater
• Open every window and door
• Look at the roof while walking around the outside of the home; any shingles bowing or turning up may be signs of a bad roof--these are called “curled” shingles
• Look around the air conditioner for pools of water, rust on the appliance or any other signs of wear and corrosion
• Take notice of the ceiling in each room--brown spots are signs of roof leaks
• Turn the lights on and off
• Look for cracks in the exterior walls, especially those near the ground. This is called “stair-step” cracking and may indicate a problem with the foundation
• Look for cracks in the walls of an in-ground pool

No willing seller should have any reservations about letting you kick the tires. Of course, gathering this information is just the beginning. While this do-it-yourself preliminary inspection may turn up something that takes the home off the possibilities list, its not the final arbiter. You’ll need to bring anything you note to the attention of a profession home inspector and let them put their expertise to work for you.

By the same token, don’t make the mistake of believing your layman’s inspection is enough to go ahead with the purchase, saving the cost of hiring a licensed inspector may cost you far more, according to the National Association of Realtors.