Home Inspection Report: Fill & Download for Free

Inspection isn’t OptionalInvest in a home inspection report, and never use the inspection service recommended by the real estate agent. Find your own inspector and don’t look for the cheapest. Buying a house is one of the largest purchases you will ever make in your life.In many cases, you will be paying for this purchase for the next twenty to thirty years. So no matter what your financial situation, spend a couple of hundred dollars on a good independent home inspection report from a certified professional.Homes have so many problems and flaws that they are too numerous to list. Many of these will be repaired before the sale, but many others will also be covered up or painted over. From rotted window sills and door jams to mold in the basement that was covered with a coat of paint, you need to know what you're buying. A good home inspector is worth their weight in gold.So why not use the service the helpful real estate agent recommends? First of all, the agent only gets paid if the sale goes through so they have an interest in using someone who will not be quite so thorough. Second, agents establish relationships with inspectors as they recommend the same one over and over generating a lot of the inspectors business. If the inspector finds something that will kill the deal it may not be in their best interest to report it. I’m not saying this would happen, but just in case, hire someone independent, who only works for you.You will generally get a multi-page report listing every flaw from potential termite damage to old water damage to animals in the attic. This will give you an idea of what you are buying and how many of the items should be repaired by the seller before the sale is completed. Some disclosures will add up to thousands of dollars in repairs such as mold problems or a home containing asbestos or lead paint. Why buy someone else's headaches when you could have a clear picture going in on what you are buying.In many cases, you can use the home inspection report to negotiate a lower sale price. “The report says the roof will need to be replaced in the next five years, so I want a reduction in price.”Buying a home without a good home inspection is like buying a used car relying on the word of the salesman, without a test drive. Not a smart move.

I’m no expert. I’m just going to share with you that I chose to get them to fix some of the things from the inspection and regretted that later. They made the cheapest fixes possible and I ended up dealing with it again myself later in all but one case. I wish I had asked for a price break instead.

Influenced by the changes in the economic and legal environments over the past 30 years, home inspection reports have changed to accommodate increased consumer expectations, and to provide more extensive information and protection to both inspectors and their clients.