It is said to be one of the most expensive, and one of the most important purchases of your lifetime, not your purebred dog, but investing in a home. The thing is with buying a home you do not get a money-back-guarantee, or return policy, like other products.
Once you buy a home and sign the deed, you are on your own and foot the bill of any repairs to keep the property well maintained. It is essential that you know about any potential problems and repairs that need done before officially buying the house.
The best way for you to determine if the home is safe and in proper living conditions is to hire the services of a professional home inspector to survey it. An experienced home inspector will review the house and evaluate it, check all the working and functioning components, how they affect each other, and how much “life” is left in them.
The home inspection evaluation should leave you with a list of repairs that are needing done and highlights areas, which have received repairs in the past. The purpose of a home inspection is to help the buyer understand the true and current condition of the home in question.
A pre-purchase home inspection lasts around 3-4 hours, when done correctly; it might cost anything upwards of $500.00. The cost is dependent on State location, and the home’s square footage. Once the inspection is completed in its entirety, the buyer will be handed a written, detailed report of the essential problems in the home.
An experienced home inspector will not hesitate to answer the difficult questions. One thing to remember is that it’s their job to educate the seller or the homebuyer on the home being sold. A inspection offers peace of mind before the biggest purchase of your life.
It has recently been found out that most home sales hang in the balance and are either swayed one way or the other by the experience of the home inspector involved in the sale. The National Association of Home Inspectors (NAHI) have found out that potential home buyers don’t bother to check the credentials of the people they employ to carry out a home inspection on their property.
If you are looking to buy a home, and are in need of a professional qualified home inspection service, then Central Florida Building Inspectors can help. CFBI assist homebuyer’s and homeowner’s all around Florida buy and sell their homes effectively. Enlisting a professional home inspector to evaluate the state of the home, will help pinpoint any issues that need sorted before the home is sold or placed on the market.
To the inexperienced, the exterior of the home might look put-together, but there are situations where the ‘exterior’ is simply covering what is really happening on the inside. That’s why it’s important to have a professional experienced inspector carry out a pre-listing home inspection. They will be able to check all the important factors on the home, from the foundation to the roof, all will be checked to offer assurance that it is in proper safe condition for moving in.
You have the right to know that your home is safe and the foundations are correctly doing their job right. You don’t want to be locking the front door in the morning and coming back to your home being lifted off into the horizon by the latest gust of wind. (Florida is known for its unpredictable weather).
When looking for a professional company to execute the home inspection make sure that they have plenty of experience in the industry and have the credentials to back it up. A home inspection is there for you and is for your benefit, it can save you time and money when carried out appropriately.
Polybutylene is a potable water supply piping that was used in many houses built throughout the 1980’s and into the early 90’s. This particular plumbing system has had a checkered history and has a much higher propensity to leak and cause water damage to your house than other plumbing systems available. It is usually a grey plastic with blue/red markings and can be seen throughout the house at the various ‘wet areas’ e.g. bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms.
Over time, chemicals used to treat the potable water react with the plumbing material and fittings, eventually leading to leaks and sometimes complete failure of the plumbing system. This can spell disaster for some homeowners who get caught off-guard. In extreme cases, repairs may cost tens of thousands of dollars and may render the structure unsafe to inhabit. Mold growth and moisture damage will occur if this issue goes unnoticed or is hidden inside the walls.
Leaking Polybutylene
Throughout the 80’s and early 90’s, many houses were being build throughout the Central Florida area. Polybutylene is not as uncommon as you may think it is. Hiring experienced Orlando Home Inspectors to determine whether or not this type of plumbing is present in a house you or a client of yours is interested in buying is of the utmost importance. We at Central Florida Building Inspectors, Inc. have seen hundreds of houses with Polybutylene plumbing systems and can let you know if you have this type of piping. CFBI can also perform a full home and mold inspection to determine if any problems may be present as a result of this plumbing.
