Many real estate experts believe that home inspections aren't just for Northern Virginia/South Carolina home buyers.  Sellers can benefit from having a home inspection performed before they place their home on the market as well.  But why are home inspections good for both buyers AND sellers?  Let me explain.

Every home has the potential for problems, even newly constructed ones.  Before you buy a Northern Virginia/South Carolina home, you should always have a home inspection done.  The inspection will give you some valuable insight into possible issues (big and small) that may cost you money down the road.  This can help you when it comes time to negotiate the price.  Let's say the seller is asking $210,000 for the home you're interested in.  Upon first glance, it looks like the perfect deal.  However, a home inspection reveals that the roofing is need of replacement within the next few months and the plumbing system is in desperate need of updating.  This could cost you anywhere from $15,000-$25,000 dollars that will be coming out of your pocket.  That means that the $210,000 asking price should actually be several thousand dollars less to compensate for it.  These are issues that may not be visible on a regular walk-through of the property but can valuable information to have before closing a deal.

When you're selling your Northern Virginia/South Carolina home, having an inspector come out to investigate your property can help point out what repairs are needed so that you get the most money possible for your home at sales time.  Many buyers tend to overestimate how much it will cost to repair or replace an item by as much as twice the actual price.  For example, if a buyer sees a water stain, they automatically believe that the whole system will need an overhaul, costing thousands of dollars or may turn them off buying the property entirely.  In reality, it may be a simple leak that needs to be repaired with a bit of drywall to be replaced, costing a few hundred dollars instead.  If you make the repair yourself, the buyer will never see that there was a problem to begin with and you can ask for what your home is truly worth.

A basic home inspection covers the plumbing, heating/cooling and electrical systems, a visual inspection of the roof, attic (including visible insulation), ceiling, walls, floors, basement and foundation.  It is highly recommended that you are there when the inspector performs their inspection so that you can make sure all these areas are covered, have the "trouble spots" pointed out to you and ask any questions you may have.  While a home inspector isn't legally required to inspect things such as mold and pest problems, a good inspector may still make recommendations as to whether they feel these areas may need further investigation if the possibility of harmful black mold or termites is visible. 

Inspectors are also only legally required to inspect what they can see.  This means that they don't have to move items to look behind them, such as bookshelves, pictures, etc.  Sometimes, problems can be hidden even from a professional inspector.  Again, a good home inspector will still do as much as they are able to in order to give you as thorough an inspection as possible on the Northern Virginia/South Carolina home in question.

Home inspections are good for buyers and sellers no matter how old or new the Northern Virginia/South Carolina home is.  That is why real estate professionals recommend you spend the couple hundred dollars on an inspection before you buy OR sell a property.  Let me know if you need any help finding a good home inspector.  Please remember that this post is meant for information purposes only.  I am not a professionally licensed home inspector.

Gene Mock, your Northern Virginia, South Carolina and Washington DC real estate specialist

Originally posted on my Northern Virginia Homes real estate blog here: http://northernvirginiahomes.net/2011/12/29/home-inspections-are-good-for-buyers-and-sellers/.