With long hours at work, family commitments and everything else that demands your time, it is understandable that you might want to eliminate as many additional time commitments as possible. The home buying process in itself is a considerable time soak. After you’ve devoted time to finding the right house and getting your offer accepted, it can be hard to carve out an additional few hours to attend a home inspection. But, is it really a good idea to skip the home inspection even if the inspector is giving you a detailed, written report?
Do Buyers Need to Attend a Home Inspection if You’re Getting a Written Report?
The short answer is yes. And, it will be well worth your time if you hire the right inspector. We work with the best home inspectors in Austin and when our clients attend a home inspection, they are always glad they did.
A Knowledgeable Home Inspector Will Go Over More than the Report
A knowledgeable home inspector will show you where the water shut off is, explain the systems and components of the home and go over home owner maintenance suggestions. Trust me, if you have a leak and need to turn off the water quickly, you’ll be glad you attended the home inspection for that reason alone. Even if you don’t have a leak, understanding how your home works and the specific things you need to monitor and maintain is not something you can just look up on Google.
Home Inspection Reports Don’t Distinguish Must Fix Items
Though a report from an experienced home inspector is very detailed, you won’t get the inspector’s take on items that are more important to fix and which you should simply monitor. In Texas, inspectors are required to report items that aren’t currently up to code, items that should simply be watched and those that need to be fixed immediately, such as electricity and plumbing problems. It is not always apparent in the report which is which. Being at the inspection to ask the inspector those questions will help you determine a priority list for necessary repairs and save you money on unnecessary repairs.
Understand As Much as You Can About Your Most Expensive Asset
When you’re buying your most expensive asset, you want to make sure you understand what you’re buying, how it could affect your ability to sell the property when the time comes and what you can do to maintain the property to reduce repair bills. Attending the inspection will give even seasoned home buyers an education about their new house. Take advantage of the service you are paying for.
Can’t Attend the Inspection in Person?
There are some situations where buyers are unable to attend inspections because they are traveling or are out of the area and can’t make a return trip. In this case, I would suggest either attending the inspection by phone or via Skype or FaceTime. This way, you’ll have your chance to ask questions and see what the inspector sees. We’ve done this with some of our buyers and it has worked well.
Thinking of Buying a Home in Austin?
Our team of experienced buyer’s agents can help save you time on the mundane parts of the home buying process that you don’t need to attend, to free up time for important things, like the home inspection. We’ve helped thousands of buyers in our combined 60+ years of experience and have the systems and procedures that save buyers time and money. For more info about our team, check out our Austin Home Buyers section. Then, call us at (512) 827-8323, email us at info@11OaksRealty.com or fill out our Buyer Survey to get started. Remember, hiring an Eleven Oaks Realty buyers agent to represent you on the purchase of your next home costs you nothing. Our fee is paid by the seller.
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