If you’re looking to buy a home in Philadelphia, PA, getting a home inspection is a crucial step to complete before closing. For some, home inspections can seem like an unnecessary use of funds, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Getting a home inspection in Philadelphia, PA is an easy way to protect yourself and your new home from unforeseen complications. Home inspections are performed by professionals who are trained to detect existing or potential problems in your new home.

Here’s how and why you can find a great home inspector in Philadelphia, PA.

What Happens During a Home Inspection?

The process of buying a home is incredibly stressful. For some, the process can be emotionally and financially draining and can sometimes feel never-ending. If you’re feeling stressed about closing on your new Philadelphia home, a home inspection can give you some peace of mind.

Here’s what you should expect during the process.

Structure

During your home inspection in Philadelphia, PA, your home inspector will perform a number of visual assessments of the property. When they are examining the structure of your new home, they’ll look for structural issues with the:

  • Walls
  • Floors
  • Roof
  • Ceilings
  • Attic
  • Basement
  • Foundation
  • Windows
  • Doors
  • Fireplaces and chimneys

The main goal of this assessment is to make sure that the home is structurally sound and doesn’t have any existing issues that could threaten your safety or lead to very costly repairs.

Major Appliances and Systems

Your home inspector will also look closely at the following major appliances and systems during your home inspection in Philadelphia, PA:

  • Central air conditioning system (if applicable)
  • Heating
  • Electrical system and wiring
  • Plumbing

Your home inspector is trained to look closely at all of these appliances and systems to make sure they’re running smoothly. This is especially important if the home has been out of use for some time or if the systems are on the older side.

Inspection Report

After your home inspector completes your home inspection, he or she will provide you with a detailed document containing all of the issues that they found during the inspection. This document should contain:

  • A summary of the most important issues
  • Descriptions of all found issues, including their potential impact on your home
  • Photographs (or diagrams if photographs are not possible) of the issues that need immediate attention

Extra Testing

Once you receive your home inspection report, you may decide you want to schedule further, more thorough testing on your new home. These will usually require you to bring in a specialist. Some common add-on tests include:

Radon Testing

Radon testing in Philadelphia, PA is important for all home buyers. Radon, a carcinogenic gas, is both invisible and odorless and requires professional testing to detect. Radon is also radioactive and long-term exposure can greatly increase your risk of lung cancer.

Water Testing

You may also want to look into water testing in Philadelphia, PA. It can be common to ask for an FHA water test, especially if your new home’s water is supplied by a private well. Conducting water testing can help you understand if there are any harmful contaminants in your water source.

Why Should I Get a Home Inspection?

If you’re buying a new home, one of the most important things to do is schedule a home inspection. Home inspections are usually paid for by the buyer, but the cost is relatively low compared to the high benefits. Here are several reasons why home inspections are a critical part of the home-buying process.

You Actually Get the Facts

When you’re buying a new home, the property you decide to buy might seem too good to be true… and sometimes that’s because it is. As with selling anything, sellers and agents will dress the home up with staged furniture, the smell of freshly baked cookies, and vivid descriptions of how beautiful your life could be in the home they want to sell. It’s easy to get swept up in the magic of it all, but you need to be careful.

Sometimes what you see isn’t quite what you get, and home inspections can help bring any unsavory issues to light. It’s true that part of the home-buying process should be emotional. You need to trust your gut and find a home that fits your vision. The other part of the process needs to be analytical, though. Your home inspector in Philadelphia, PA, is an unbiased third party that will look at the home and relay everything to you as they see it— no sugar coating, no hidden agenda.

Get a Fair Price

Your home inspector can help you determine if you’re paying too much for the home you intend to buy. If they uncover any issues— especially if the seller knew about them and didn’t disclose them— you might be able to negotiate a much lower price. Alternatively, you may be able to work out a deal with the seller where they pay all or some of the repair costs.

Home Inspections Protect You

Even if you’re set on buying the home and you don’t care if the seller has disclosed every issue, a home inspection can keep you safe. Home inspections can reveal issues like structural issues (a floor or roof that might cave in, for example), and more.

Insurance

A lot of home insurance companies require that you provide them with home inspection results before they’ll sell you an insurance policy. This helps them understand the risks involved with insuring your particular property and can help you make sure you aren’t paying too much or too little.

An Easy Way Out

If you’re far along in the process of buying your new home, but the results of your home inspection are worrisome, don’t fret. A questionable home inspection report is usually sufficient grounds for you to opt out of your contract and either renegotiate or search for a different home.

Looking for a home inspector in Philadelphia, PA? ARTI Home Inspections is a small business that works hard for you. We are ASHI certified and you can access a real, live person from 8am to 7pm, every day. We only schedule 2 inspections per day to ensure sufficient time for each residential inspection, and to satisfactorily answer all your questions.

Contact us today to request an ASHI certified home inspection.