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You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know!

4 min read

So you found your dream home, wrote up an offer with you Realtor and it was accepted by the selling party. Congratulations! The next step is very critical to protecting yourself as a buyer and that is obtaining an inspection by a licensed and qualified home inspector. You’d have to be a fool to buy a house without having it inspected first. You need to find a competent home inspector who can give you an authentic picture of the property, so you know whether to go forward with the purchase. In the State of Florida you have an inspection period and if you do not find the property satisfactory you can cancel your offer.

Select the wrong home inspector and you could be in for years of headaches and heartache. If your home inspector misses a critical defect it can cost you a bundle. I’ve seen some of the horror stories, and trust me; you don’t want this to happen to you.

You hire a Home Inspector to do a visual survey of the property and physical structure at that particular moment in time. A good inspector is trained to spot problematic warning signs or potential problems. This can range from substandard plumbing and wiring, to foundation problems.

As with anything that people purchase, wear and tear does take affect on a home. Electrical outlets stop working, pool pumps go bad, roofs start to leak and radon gas can occur. Even the best of home inspectors will not see all of the signs of future problems because they may not yet be evident. Again, the home inspection is a snap shot of the property at that moment in time.

I have a few recommendations that will help give you the confidence to hire a qualified Home Inspector.

> Look for a certified Home Inspector who belongs to the American Society of Home Inspectors or the National Association of Home Inspectors. Both of these have a set of standards and code of ethics the members must follow. A certified inspector must pass a written test, have performed 250 paid inspections and take continuing education courses.

> Get a recommendation or referral from your Real Estate Professional.

> Be involved with the inspection process. In some cases I have seen clients be there while the inspection is going on to ask questions and see what the inspector sees.

> If you are not completely satisfied with the inspection should you get a second opinion? It is my humble opinion that it is money well spent. I have seen inspections come back “perfect” on 15 year old homes and after having a second opinion and inspection done they found foundation issues.

>Find out if your Home Inspector has Errors and Omission insurance.

> Get a wind mitigation inspection done. Sometimes this can save you money on insurance in Southwest Florida.

> Get a Radon test done as part of your inspection. Radon is a cancer-causing natural radioactive gas that you can’t see, smell or taste. Its presence in your home can pose a danger to your family’s health. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers according to the US EPA.

Getting a quality Home Inspection is for your benefit and is your right when you purchase a home. Exercise your right to inspection and review it with your Real Estate Professional. As a Realtor, if my client can not make it to the Home Inspection I will make a point to be at the property during the inspection process so that I can answer the questions for my clients.

If you have questions about purchasing or selling Real Estate write me at JJakus@LeisureAmerican.com and I will answer them in a future article.

Jason M. Jakus is a licensed realtor for Leisure American Realty, a full service Real Estate and Property Management company serving the beaches and surrounding areas of Lee County. Their office is located at 2450 Estero Blvd., Fort Myers Beach FL 33931. For more information on this or any other real estate or property management subject contact Jason at 239.463.3178 or email RealtyInfo@LeisureAmerican.com.”