When you’re buying a home, you should never skip the home inspection.  It will tell you if there are any concerns in terms of safety, maintenance or code that you’ll want to be aware of before you move in and a good home inspection will also let you know if there is anything that needs to be fixed by the seller before completing the deal.  

The question is, however, who all should be there?  Of course, you’ll want to be there because the home inspector will likely give you very useful information during the process.  Your real estate agent will also want to be there because he or she has experience in these things and will know which things you can let go and which things you’ll want to take to the seller to get fixed before closing.

Sometimes the seller likes to be at the home inspection as well.  There are pros and cons to this.  Often times, an inspector likes to have the home seller there during the inspection for many reasons:

-The inspector can ask the seller about certain things (such as water stains) to find out if it’s a constant problem or the results of a one time incident.

-The seller can tell you where to find things, especially in older homes, such as the outdoor spicket turn-off, addtional breakers, etc. 

-Sometimes there are things the inspector would like to check out but can’t because it’s covered, locked or otherwise inaccessible.  Having the seller there is useful because they can move the stuff, unlock the doors or just generally give consent to get into these hard to reach areas. 

-Finally, the seller’s presence can be beneficial to the home buyers because the seller can give them hints on how to “run” certain things in the home during the walk-through — especially if the house has special features such as an intercom or surround sound system.

There are cons to having the seller present as well.  Having your home inspected can be difficult when the inpsector is telling you everything that is wrong with your home and the sellers can get defensive about what the inspector is saying.  The seller can also try to “blow off” certain things that might end up to be a big deal in the near future such as a leaky pipe or some shingles lifting off of the roof.  Finally, the buyers may feel like they cannot be candid when discussing the home’s “issues” when the seller is standing right there.

While most people know that they should get a home inspection before buying a home to make sure there aren’t any hidden issues such as electrical problems or plumbing leaks that could cost a lot of money down the road, many people overlook the idea of getting a home inspection for a house that they already own and live in.

There are a few occasions when you might want to get a home inspection on your current home.  If you’ve done a lot of work on your home yourself, you might want to have it inspected to make sure you have things up to code. 

Also, if you’re thinking about selling your home in the near future, a home inspection is helpful so that you aren’t faced with a bunch of surprises that could interfere with the closing of your sale once you do agree upon an offer. 

If you’ve lived in your home for 10 or more years, an inspection is also helpful to help you see the wear and tear on the mechancial, electrical and other systems of your home that you might not be aware of.  This allows you to be proactive in terms of updating things like the furnace, hot water heater and even electrical work before they are so worn out it becomes an even bigger expense to repair or replace.

Finally, if you’ve recently purchased a home and chose to skip the home inspection prior to the purchase, you might want to find out what exactly you’re dealing with in terms of the property.  A liscensed and qualified home inspector can walk you through the home and let you know what areas you should be concerned about as well as how to handle potential problem areas before they get out of hand.