What to Expect When You’re Inspecting

In the vast majority of real estate transactions, the buyer will get a home inspection prior to closing the property. Many other sections of the real estate contract may not apply in all circumstances- for instance the loan deadlines for a cash buyer. Prudent buyers, however, will nearly always pay for an inspection no matter what the financial aspects of the contract may be. In general, an inspection will cost between $400 and $500, though it can be more for a significantly larger home.

Crested Butte Home Inspections For Sellers

If you’re selling your Crested Butte Home, you will want to consider what the results of an inspection will be before your home goes on the market. At a minimum, you will want to take care of any deferred maintenance items. That leaky faucet you’ve been ignoring- get it fixed! If your hot water heater dates back to the Reagan administration, give yourself a pat on the back since it’s still running, but it’s almost certainly something that will come u during the inspection, and you may want to replace it now. Keep in mind that when buyers see a lot of items on an inspection report, they can get cold feet and cancel the contract.

Other items which I commonly see on inspection reports include:

GFCI outlets: Outlets near water sources, such as bathrooms and kitchens, should have GFCI outlets. Typically, older homes may not have this upgrade even though it is standard today. Sellers may wish to install these prior to listing their home.

Bathroom Caulking: Take a look at your showers and bathtubs. If the caulking looks old, moldy, or is missing, it’s a quick and cheap fix.

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors: If you took a smoke detector down when it woke you up in the middle of the night, and the only thing there now is wires sticking out of the ceiling, it’s time to take care of it. Once again, if your smoke detectors are old, the inspector will take note of this as well.

If you’re thinking of selling your Crested Butte home, you may wish to have a professional inspector take a look at your property before you place your home for sale. A home that is kept in good shape, with no obvious problems, will sell for a higher price than one that has obvious problems. For that reason alone, it may be worth your time and effort to get an inspection before listing your property. Finally, while it’s never nice to hear that there are foundation or roof problems, it’s easier to deal with when you aren’t under contract and have an upset buyer on the other end of things.

I have some great inspectors that I work with regularly, as well as contractors and “handyman” services if you need help with any of the items identified above- just contact me.

Crested Butte Home Inspections For Buyers

For buyers, the main hope is that the home you’re buying comes through the inspection with flying colors, giving you confidence that you’re making a great purchase. That said, however, if you’re buying a used property it’s sure to have some problems. The question to answer is what’s important when you see the results of a home inspection.

The analogy that I like to make is that of a used car. If you inspect a used car and it turns out the transmission is on it’s last legs- that’s a big problem and the seller may need to offer concessions to you. But if the car has 100,000 miles and the only things wrong with it are a couple of stains and scratches- consider it a good car and be happy.

The same is true when you’re buying a house. If there are a handful of dings and scratches, you might just take note of them and take care of it when you’re the homeowner. It’s the bigger issues that you really want to know about.

Other Types of Inspections

Depending on the property, you may want other inspections performed during the contract process.

Lead Paint: Houses built before 1978 may have lead paint. You’ll have to decide if this is something you’ll want to investigate

Radon: Radon is an odorless, naturally occurring radioactive gas that can cause cancer. More information can be found on the EPA’s website.

Solar and Off-Grid: Homes with solar panels or battery backup systems may have components that a typical home inspector may not be familiar with. In those cases, a specialist may be consulted to insure the systems are working correctly.

Septic systems: Septic engineers can inspect these systems for leaks, capacity, and blockages prior to purchase.

Fireplace and Chimney: Home inspectors will give these systems a quick visual check, but a chimney sweep can give you a better idea of the health of the fireplace.

Conclusions

In the end, each homeowner or buyer will need to decide on which inspections, if any, they’d like to do. The age of the property and its condition, the sales price, and the risk tolerance of the parties will all play a factor in terms of what is investigated prior to a home sale. For questions concerning inspections or any other real estate questions, contact Frank anytime.

New Listings in Crested Butte