September 15, 1995

What You Don't Know About Your New Home Can Hurt You

The American Dream of home ownership can be your best Investment or your worst nightmare.

One of the most painful tasks that face many home inspectors, lenders or Realtors is listening to a home buyer say, “the house was only 7 years old, I thought I was being wise and saving a few dollars by just having the mechanical systems inspected - 6 months later the foundation walls leaked and now need $3,500 of repairs because of poor grading,” or “the roof was only 2 years old and 1 saved $50 on my home inspection by only getting a mechanical inspection. Who would have thought that the roof could have already had $2,000 worth of old hail damage?”

Although there are many different types of inspections available to a home buyer, today more Realtors, lenders, attorneys and home inspectors recommend that the prudent home buyer get a General Home Inspection or Whole House Inspections as it is commonly called in the Kansas City area. This affords the buyer the best value and will include a complete overview of both the mechanical and structural components in the home.

The typical cost of a Whole House Inspection in Kansas City will range from $200 to $300 depending upon size and amenities. With many people spending $100,000 to $300,000 or more for a home today, the cost of the home inspection is a very small price to pay for the peace of mind it brings. Yet, local Realtors say that every day they hear of some naive home buyer trying to save $45 to $75 by only getting a partial home inspection.

Tory Graham, an agent with Coldwell Banker Graham, recently said, “In the litigious society that we live in, a full home inspection, I have learned, is the best defense against future liability for the seller and the most assured way a buyer can feel comfortable with the home purchase.”

Stacey Van Houtan, a remodeling contractor and owner of Home Sweet Home Inspection Company, said “an educated buyer is my best client.”

The American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) is the largest and oldest professional association of home inspectors in North America.

When asked about partial inspections, several local members of the Midwest Pro-ASHI chapter made the following comments.

Rick Shockley, a professional engineer with Complete Inspection Services, said: “I can’t imagine why anyone would want to leave out part of the home inspection. It can’t be a matter of money because a home inspection costs just a fraction of its true worth.”

Dan Capobianco with Metro Home Inspections said, “Why would any one not want to know all they could about their new home - information is power.”

Bruce Kelly with Custom home Inspections bald that “although I have inspected many homes for structural engineers, plumbers, electricians and architects, I don’t remember ever having one of those professionals ask to leave out the part of the home inspection that was their specialty — if the specialists don’t, why would the average buyer want to do that?”

I previously built and sold homes 8 years. Many years ago when I was a real estate broker, I remember a few agents who were afraid that the home inspection would kill a deal, so they either did not recommend inspections at all or they only recommended a partial inspection. The principle there being the less you inspect, the less you find wrong, and the less you find wrong the less you have to renegotiate. I don’t believe this happens much anymore.

Most professional agents and lenders now realize that a general home inspection is like going to the family doctor. Let the home inspector examine the home’s various systems and components and then recommend which of these items may need further evaluation by a specialist.

There is no college degree offered in home inspection. Although many of the better inspectors have experience as architects, engineers, builders or contractors, there is no one skill or trade that automatically qualifies someone to he a home inspector.  Remember, anyone can inspect a home, but not everyone is qualified to be a Professional Home Inspector.

A home is not like a used car that you can test drive and take back if you don’t like the way it handles. Once you sign on the dotted line, it’s yours, for better or worse. To insure that you get the better part, local members of the Midwest Pro-ASHI chapter recommend having the home inspected by a Professional ASHI home inspector.