T

he excitement of buying a home can often overshadow the less fun, but no less important aspects of buying a home, such as getting the home inspection.

Not only does a home inspection give you a healthy reality check about the current state of the property (warts and all), it also provides an opportunity for you to learn important home ownership and maintenance tips so you can keep your new purchase in tip-top shape long after the ink has dried on your closing documents.

Let’s dive into four important reasons why you should definitely be present for at least part of your home inspection.

You can voice concerns or confirm that important elements have been inspected – Professional home inspectors are trained and experienced to look for health and safety concerns, but it never hurts to be present and ensure that any and all of your concerns get addressed (for tips on what to look for when hiring a home inspector, check out this post).

You can learn about the intricacies of the property – Buyers need to know where important things like the gas, water, and electric shut-off vales are located, and an inspection is a great time to learn about this and other critical details of the home.

You can learn maintenance tips – Your home inspector can also serve as a coach in that he or she will offer tips along the way for how to best maintain the property and appliances (you’ll also get insight into the expected lifecycle of major appliances so you can plan accordingly for deferred maintenance costs).

Keeping up on preventative maintenance can be a huge money-saver, but not if you don’t know what or how to maintain the property.

You can ask questions – Perhaps one of the best reasons to attend the home inspection is to ask questions and get issues clarified in person. Whether or not you’re a first-time home buyer, you will have questions about the property, and there’s no better time to ask than when you have a certified master inspector right in front of you.

Take advantage of the opportunity the home inspection provides to do a deep-dive into the property and walk away better educated about the home to boot. At GI Joe Home Inspections, we always encourage buyers to join us during home inspections. If you have questions about what to look for during a home inspection or what questions to ask your inspector, contact us today.