Protect Yourself From Major Repair Bills By Having A Home Inspection Before You Buy Your First House

As a first-time homebuyer, you may not have much experience with home maintenance and repairs. You may decide to buy a newer home in excellent shape so you don't have to worry about major repairs for several years. However, you may want to buy a fixer-upper so you can get in a nice house at a more affordable price. In either case, you'll want a home inspection done first so you understand the condition of the house before you commit to buying it. Here are important parts of the home that are usually inspected.

The Roof

Potential buyers are generally interested in the condition of the roof on a home for sale. For that reason, sellers often replace an old roof before putting the home on the market. If that hasn't been done, then examine the roof as best as you can from the ground when you tour the house. You'll get even more information from the home inspector who will look closely at the roof and let you know the condition of the deck and shingles.

If the roof is bad, you might get the seller to replace it, or at least drop the price. If you don't want the responsibility of putting on a new roof right away as a new homeowner, then you'll want to buy a home with a roof that doesn't have any problems showing on the inspection report.

Plumbing And Electricity

It's important to know that a home inspection for the sale of a house is limited to areas that the inspector can see without having to open up walls. The inspector can still provide a lot of information about the house, including the condition of the plumbing and electricity.

Some things you may want to know about the electrical system include the type of electrical panel, age of the panel, and the type of wiring. The inspection should also reveal if the electricity is grounded, if all outlets are working, and if there are GFCI outlets installed where they should be. If the house is old, you'll also want to consider if there are enough outlets to handle all your electronic equipment and home appliances.

The inspection may also reveal the type of plumbing pipes in the home since you want to know if they're lead or made from some other problem material. Exposed pipes can also be checked for signs of corrosion that might predict problems with leaking in the future.

Water Damage

The inspector also looks for signs of water damage throughout the house. Water damage could indicate the presence of hidden mold that could be costly to remove. Water damage could also indicate the possibility of a roof leak or plumbing leak.

If you want to avoid spending money on repairs as soon as you buy the house, then you may want to avoid buying a home that has moisture problems or water damage when found during a home inspection.

For more information, reach out to a local home inspector.