What Can Influence My Home Inspection?

Are you looking to get a home inspection but worried about potential downsides to inspections? Are you concerned about the limitations associated with the home inspection process? If so, you are not alone, and are in the right place.

In this article, we will help you by naming some of the influences often outside of your control when it comes to getting a home inspection and giving you some solutions to help counteract them.

Here at the FBI Group, we have been inspecting homes for over a decade and have helped people walk through their reservations about getting an inspection. Naturally, with such a big purchase there are fears and worries to be had.

A home inspection takes a snapshot in time of the home's condition so that you know what you are walking into after you sign your closing papers. The inspection will help clarify the state the home is in and help in your decision-making, but there are a few influences outside of your control and even your home inspector's control.

1. Weather

Weather can be your friend or foe when getting a home inspection. Now, that might sound silly, but consider this – weather can bring out issues in the home, or it can hide them. Being in Florida, our company sees its fair share of interesting weather; the most common is storms.

How weather can influence your home inspection

If your home inspection is scheduled on a day it is raining, it prevents the inspector from being able to walk on the roof and inspect it. Walking the roof gives them an up-close look at the life or condition of the roof covering. Your inspector will still inspect the underside of the roof from the attic and report on its condition, noting any areas that should be checked or will need further investigation.

Solution

Your inspector’s expertise and knowledge will go a long way when it comes to inspecting homes in all kinds of weather conditions. Make sure to choose a reputable inspector or inspection company that has experience inspecting in all kinds of weather conditions. Your inspector should be able to give you all the information you need, regardless of weather, based on their training, education, and experience in the field.

 2. Snapshot in time of the home

During your inspection, your inspector should be taking a lot of pictures to give you a literal snapshot of the home's condition at the time of inspection, but if things change after that snapshot, they will not know.

How changes from the time of inspection can influence your home inspection

The home's condition can change after the inspector has inspected the home, which would not be shown in your inspection report. For example, your home could be inspected on Monday and your water heater is working great but on Friday it could not be working. Your inspector, unfortunately, cannot forecast the future condition of the home, even though we would love that to be the case. Sorry, no crystal ball here.

Solution

Your real estate agent is your greatest ally to ensure the home is in the condition it should be in before closing. A thorough walkthrough with your agent can ensure that no sudden changes have occurred since your home inspection. It is a great idea to have your inspection report in hand while walking through to confirm if there are any changes.

3. Areas not accessible

The best time to get a home inspection is when the house is empty of all personal belongings. This will present a clean canvas, giving the inspector the best opportunity to work their magic, however, that does not always happen.

Some sellers still have their personal belongings in the home at the time of inspection, and sometimes those belongings take up a lot of space. Your inspector will do their best to access all the areas needed to give you a clear picture of the home's status, but if areas are blocked by furniture, moving boxes, or storage, they will not move items to access the inaccessible areas.

How inaccessible areas can influence your home inspection

Furniture and personal belongings can hide issues in the home that would not be disclosed in your home inspection report because the inspector could not inspect the area being hidden by furniture. For example, packed moving boxes in the garage can block the inspector from getting to your water heater or access into the attic crawl space, leaving potential issues lurking.

Solution

When scheduling your home inspection make sure to communicate with the seller the time and date so they can properly prepare the home. When preparing the home for an inspection it is important to ask your seller to make sure the inspector will have access to the attic, crawl space, and electrical panels. Check out this video below and share it with your seller prior to your inspection.