After searching for several months, you have finally found your dream home. It’s located just in the right place, away from everything or close to everything, the schools near it are good, and the price is good.  The house itself looks good.  It has a nice open kitchen, newly remodeled bathrooms, and a fresh coat of paint.  It’s just perfect.

Most houses sell on looks alone.  All those things mentioned above do wonders for sales appeal.  However, this doesn’t mean that you should base your decision on pure looks alone when you could be making the biggest investment in your life.  As important as chosing the right house is getting a house that is structurally sound and not a 'money pit'.  Hiring a [Profile.market2] home inspector is just what you need to make certain that you are making the right decision.

Searching for the RIGHT INSPECTOR

Because of high demand, there is huge number of [Profile.market2] home inspectors offering their services in the market.  Finding the right one might be a little hard to do.  You can try talking with your friends who also just recently purchased a new home and ask them who they hired as their [Profile.market2] home inspector.  You can also try searching the web for any professional home inspector servicing your area.  Probably the best option is to ask your Realtor for recommendations (not just one but a list of 3).

Trimming Down Your Choices

Once you’ve found a list of candidates to hire as a [Profile.market2] home inspector, your next step should be to peruse their qualifications.  A [Profile.market2] home inspector should have an occupational license to do the job you require him to do.  If he comes from an accredited home inspection school, then that is good.  If he is a member of a trade association, that is even better as these associations have strict rules of professional conduct among their members.  Other factors you should also consider as you break down through your long list of [Profile.market2] home inspectors are affiliations, testimonials, and fees.  In making the choice, ask the inspector if they will let you follow them around and ask questions.  If the inspector says NO then go on to find someone else.  Used homes don't come with owners manuals so this is your chance to learn about all the systems in your new home.  Don't be afraid to ask dumb questions.  You're not supposed to be the expert, that's why you hired them.  Get your moneys worth out of them.

The Big Day

So you have finally made your final choice on who to hire as a [Profile.market2] home inspector and he shows up on the day of the inspection.  The usual protocol is followed – introductions, signing of the contract, and perhaps an overall explanation of what he will do.  Make sure you come prepared with paper and pen and maybe even a portable voice recorder.  Something I've done before is to film the inspection so that if I ever have a question about anything, I can just go back and watch the video.

Usually, the first thing that the [Profile.market2] home inspector checks is the external structure of the house.  That includes the roof, windows, doors, walls, foundations, porch, stairs, garage, sprinkler system, well, septic, etc.  He will check all these and make a visual assessment on how good a condition they’re in and whether or not you need to replace any part of the new house anytime soon.

Next, your [Profile.market2] home inspector will start poking around the window trim or the cill and the baseboards. This is to find if there is any moisture damage to the wood which could have been painted over.  He will also check the foundations for any cracks and determine which cracks are normal and which are in need of critical repair.

There are too many places to list that the [Profile.market2] home inspector will check.  His function is never limited to the exterior, but to the interior as well, including air conditioning and heating systems, plumbing, electrical system, water softeners, pool pump, etc.

There is a lot of free information available to you about buying, selling or investing in [Profile.market2] real estate.  For complete information about the [Profile.market2] real estate market including current homes for sale, property values and more please visit the most complete website online dedicated to everything Cape Coral Real Estate at www.livingincapecoralnow.com and www.dancraddock.com.  Please feel free to contact me with any of your mortgage questions and I will be happy to answer all of your questions.  Call me on my cell at [Profile.cell_phone] or email me at [Profile.email_link].