Professional home inspections are an important step when purchasing a home. It can help avoid any unforeseen issues and problems. An inspection can also be used as a contingency when placing your purchase offer, allowing for a price reduction or back out completely within a certain time frame.
Here are some examples of what could be revealed in a home inspection:
Ongoing construction could mean that there is a Mechanic's Lien
No actual vehicular and pedestrian access to and from the land, based upon a legal right
You must move existing structures because they encroach on your neighbor's property
Someone has the legal right to refuse to perform a contract to purchase the land, lease it or make a mortgage loan on it because your neighbor's existing structures encroaches on the land
You must move your existing structure, which encroach on an easement of a building set-back line
Your neighbor builds any structures after the policy date - other than boundary walls or fences - that encroach on the land
Illegal garage conversions
Non-code electrical wiring
Construction of outbuildings, such as sheds and illegally built room add-ons
Construction of gardens/irrigation systems
Paving over yards to use as additional parking, which may be in violation of zoning and building codes as well as Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CC&R)
These examples are illegal and can result in litigation. An inspection would help to uncover these uses.
Inspectors do not enter the home and will not make an appointment with the homeowner. Often homeowners do not know an inspection has taken place as they are typically scheduled Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm, however, they should always have identification on them in the rare instance they would run into the homeowner.
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