Once you find what seems to be the perfect home, it can be excruciating to wait to move in. However, while you wait, there are many important steps that take place to ensure that the home you’ve chosen truly is the home of your dreams. One of the most important things that happen during this time is your home inspection. Your home inspection can turn up potential issues that could be a deal-breaker. To ensure your inspection goes as planned, here are four things you need to have inspected before moving into a new home.
Roof
Since you’re on the ground, it can be easy to miss damage on a new home’s roof. That’s why you need to make sure that the roof is one of the items that is inspected. The roof on your future home could have hail damage, missing shingles, nail pops, and all sorts of other issues that could cause you major problems down the road. By inspecting your roof closely, you can decide if the roof is a cost worth taking on before you’ve signed on the dotted line.
Heating and Cooling
Given its complexity, the heating and cooling system in your home can hide a lot of potentially expensive problems. Air conditioner replacement, boiler repair, and other major items can catch you by surprise if you don’t have a home’s heating and cooling system inspected. If major problems are found, you can then work to have these costs covered by the seller or try and negotiate a lower selling price.
Electrical System
Given the potentially dangerous nature of a faulty electrical system, this is a key component to have inspected before you move into a new home. Everything from the outlets to the circuit breaker should be inspected to ensure that no unsafe or illegal additions or modifications have been made. Since problems with the electrical system are easy to overlook, it’s important to get an experienced inspector who understands the local codes to ensure your house is compliant.
Wall Paint
If you’re looking at an older home, there are some special checks you’ll need to have done. One check is to ensure that there is no lead paint on the walls of the home. Lead paint can be extremely hazardous, especially for young children, so it’s important to know if there is any of it present so that you can have it removed.
Once the final documents have been signed, a home becomes yours, for better or worse. Before you get to that final state, it’s important to be sure that your home is a good fit and isn’t hiding any nasty surprises. By taking the time to complete a thorough inspection, you can begin your journey in your new home with confidence.