Been involved in quite a few transactions over several decade. So involving inspections. But been a long time. A property I am purchasing is going to have an inspection soon. I cannot be present. The inspector has a good reputation. I am sure he is thorough. The realtor set it up.

Is there anything I should specifically request. The septic is going to be pumped and I assume inspected by another company.

Thanks guys.

When we bought our last house, the inspector was pretty thorough. He did the inspection first, then walked us through his findings several days afterwards. Every system had a section and each section had a checklist. He took pictures and gave us a list of deficiencies. You might ask for a template of his inspection to spur your thinking as to what may be missing or if you want a closer inspection.

I would get an inspector that was not tied to the sellers realtor.

When we sold in NC, the company that might have had to purchase the home (Grabel) required an inspection on a five year old home.
It was a work move and the business woulda bought the house had we not sold it in 30 days.

-Had two shiners on the roof-I put silicone on them
-Had a crack in the distribution box for the septic-I lined the interior and exterior with hydraulic cement
-Had a piece of wood under the plastic in the crawl space-I removed it.
-Had an electrical junction box with no cover under the home for a lamppost that was never put in nor was wired to a switch-I put a cover on it.

That was it. I took pics after fixing and sent them to the inspector.
He spent about three hours there looking at everything and documented it all for Grabel.

The home here that we bought was still under construction and I went by every other day and the only things are tiny cosmetic issues.

Had I not done that I would spring for my own inspector.

After watching 2 dozen you tube home inspection vids.

What a nightmare.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:
I would get an inspector that was not tied to the sellers realtor.

This ^ first and foremost...

Just curious, What does a home inspection, in general, cost?

Mine was just south of $450.
I understand about the sellers agent. She is my agent as well. I trust her. The inspector is highly thought of in the area.
I have done my inspection prior. The inspectors will be significantly more in depth surely.
This is a relatively small place. Not a large residence.

quote:

-Had two shiners on the roof-I put silicone on them

What is a shiner on a roof?
Never heard that term before.

Have the sewer line system completely inspected utilizing a system that includes a camera (and record everything). Having to tear up concrete to replace sewer lines is VERY expensive.

quote:

Originally posted by gjgalligan:

quote:

-Had two shiners on the roof-I put silicone on them

What is a shiner on a roof?
Never heard that term before.

Likely "popped" roofing nails or nails that "miss" framing members and are not "secure or securing" shingles. Both issues are potential for roofing shingle loss or leaks.

Having just sold and bought a house in another state I would make sure that you have the septic system (if there is one) inspected. Typically they have to be pumped first, but if you are going to buy, this is money well spent. As mentioned above, it is a very expensive fix.

I would do your own research and fine a certified inspector on your own and not one arranged for by the realtor. If the house is older, I would find an inspector that can review any possible settling of the foundation, assuming that it not built on a ledge of some sort. There are many small things about used houses can be overlooked however electrical, roofing, air conditioning, and septic are things that should warrant special attention. I never met the inspector that inspected my new house but he seemed through and submitted a very good written report; a lot of them use the same software to compile their reports.

My recent experience with selling and buying is that the inspectors these days avoid taking any firm stand, probably for liability reasons. They were good for structural stuff like roof condition, outdoor deck stability, and basics like is the fridge cold and does the heat blow warm out of the vents. They didn't do anything that I couldn't have done myself.

In terms of systems they were very shallow in their examination. They didn't check out the systems with the kind of depth or expertise that a specific technician would. Is the furnace safe? Are the fireplace damper and chimney working properly and clean? Are the wires inside the breaker box routed nicely and does everything look healthy in there? Do the GFCI outlets trip properly? Are the outside hose spigots suitable for the climate (freeze proof)? Are there water shutoffs to isolate the outdoor hose spigots, the water heater, water softener, etc?

If you have any concerns about a system, e.g. the heating system, you might want to hire an HVAC guy to inspect it.

quote:

Originally posted by gjgalligan:

quote:

-Had two shiners on the roof-I put silicone on them

What is a shiner on a roof?
Never heard that term before.

“Shiner”-A nailhead you can see.when you nail shingles the next row covers the nails from the lower row. The last bit is the ones across the ridge. And again the next row covers them. The very last ridge cap shingle will have exposed nails. My roofer forgot to dab some blackjack or the like on them. I had some black caulk and took care of it.

I second the drain line inspection with camera, end to end. Use a separate company for this if you need to. Collapsed drain lines can be very expensive to repair.

When I bought my house a few years ago, I used a guy on a coworkers recommendation. He was very thorough.

Most of the things were your normal everyday wear and tear fixable things, but he found one thing I would have never noticed. The previous owner had moved the door to the garage to re-fit new cabinets, and hung the door with the hinges facing the outside. Apparently that's a no-no. I would've never noticed.

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
I understand about the sellers agent. She is my agent as well.

99.9% of the time, that is not a recipe for success, so I hope you end up as part of that 0.1%.

It creates a clear conflict.

If you don't buy, she loses out on both ends of the commission. So she's further incentived to do whatever it takes to make sure you buy that property, including downplaying negatives or even outright hiding things from you. It also creates an imbalance in the price bidding/negotiations.

You don't have someone who's representing just your best interests in this negotiation and transaction.

It's like going into a divorce and saying "I'll just use my ex-wife's lawyer... They can represent us both." (Which typically isn't even allowed per attorney ethics rules, because of the conflict it creates.)

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
99.9% of the time, that is not a recipe for success, so I hope you end up as part of that 0.1%.

It creates a clear conflict.

I agree. The seller wants the highest possible price for his house, and the buyer wants the lowest possible price. This alone is an inherent conflict of interest, which side does the realtor go to bat for? In fact, this practice of "dual agency" is illegal in certain states, including mine, Texas.

In regards to inspections, which we have done for every house we purchased, we concentrate on structural stuff- foundation, roof, drainage, etc. For our present house, we also hired a separate swimming pool inspector for that task.

Finding a human that can remember all things electrical, plumbing, structural engineering, insulation, footings , basement walls , foundations,
Framing, hydrodynamics , painting, pre wall board, post finish and all the codes that pertain seems
Inconceivable. ( To me)

Thanks guys. I appreciate all the thoughts, warnings, recommendations, etc.

I agree with a lot of what has been said.

This situation is a bit unique in a few ways. I will list a few.

Price is non-negotiable.
The land, location, improvements. Water, power sewer are worth the agreed upon price without the structure.
Realtor wants paid, I get that and that comes from the seller. But has been great to me.
.
My assessment on the build is somewhat positive. On the low scale it is a five. To me, meaning with some work and $ can be salvaged and improved upon and is probably usable as is if the septic is ok'd. Could be as high as a 6-1/2 or slightly higher if the inspection comes back mostly positive.

The home inspector I used twice was a certified engineer and not some yahoo who took a class to become an “inspector”.

He was REALLY thorough and actually found a potentially deadly issue with a oil fired water heater that was not vented properly and could have caused carbon monoxide poisoning, we had it removed and replaced with an electric model for about a year before converting to gas later and getting a gas water heater.

I’d never accept any inspector that has any ties to the seller, no way no how.