Author: MACJ-ABCHI

Who doesn’t dream to own a home? In India, around 69% households in urban areas are found to be living in owned houses. In rural areas, this percentage is 95%. On an average, around 86% of households live in owned houses. A humble, two-storied house, a large bungalow, or a 2BHK flat in a housing society – they may vary in shapes and sizes. But, owning a home is largely common in Indian society.

In a lifetime, no purchase is as important and as big as buying a home. Buyers are exceptionally cautious about spending their hard-earned money as a huge amount of financial transaction is involved here. It is not enough if the house is only beautiful. A property with the facility of “ready-to-move-in” is mostly preferred. Options that involve less investment of money, time and effort top the list of preferences. Buyers need assurance that the house of their choice is in good shape. They do not want their investment to go into something that would need a repair here, a brush-up there every alternate day. If as a seller or developer you can give such an assurance then, automatically your credibility increases and you can quote a higher price for your property. A home inspection is just what you would need.

Before we explain to you the positive effect of home inspection on property value, here is what the service is all about – What is Home Inspection? Learn the Basics of It..

Benefits of a pre-sale home inspection

For a Homeowner/ Seller

1. Identify the repair needs before selling. Result – A more alluring property
It is very much true in real estate that the first impression makes the last impression. To make sure that your house is at the top of the priority list of your buyers, you have to make it “the best” in the market. A beautiful house is definitely enough to attract attention. But, it needs to be in perfect condition as well. How can you ensure that without inspecting it in the first place?

Getting a third party perspective, in this case, proves to be even more helpful because, after all, it was your home; you are unlikely to see any real defect in it. Professional home inspectors can identify the underlying problems with your home and also make out its potential in an unbiased manner. Additionally, attending the problems would add to the aesthetics which further enhances its appeal to the buyers.

A home inspection is likely to find out some common issues you might be experiencing the outcome of. Plumbing and fixture problems, electricity issues, problems of walls, floor, and roof, damage due to moisture intrusion, leakage in the roof, etc are common outcomes you get to know about after a successful home inspection. You would think – “but these are costly to repair!” You are right. But then, why would anyone want to buy a property with so many issues at a high cost? Automatically, the perceived value of your property gets lowered.

A home inspection gives you the scope to attend the problems and mend them in a time before you put your house up for sale.

With the tendency of buyers to incline more and more towards choosing “ready to move-in” properties, it is less likely they will care even a tad bit about repairing before moving in. So, if you leave the issues unattended, the number of potential buyers will automatically become less. Once you repair them, the aesthetics and ‘liveability’ quotient of your house increase manifold and you get more buyers.

Now as a seller, you may not have the required amount of time to attend all the issues the home inspection points out. No worries. Try fixing as many issues as you can. Fix the electrical problems, mend the leaky pipes, treat the roof, ceilings and walls for dampness, and replace the locks of doors and windows. These will improve your property condition a lot and deliver a feeling to the buyer that you do care about your house. Quick and easy selling with high selling price guaranteed.

2. Lesser chances of price negotiations. Quicker and smoother selling process
You will be amazed at the issues home inspection will point out to you, many of them you were completely in the dark about. You can attend them once you get the report within a few days.

If you leave it upon the buyers to call for home inspection, be prepared for 3 consequences, any of which would follow. The buyer might fix the issues, negotiations for lower selling price will come up or no deal will take place.

Pre-sales home inspection will eliminate any surprise elements for the buyers. You, the seller, know them beforehand. You can either fix them at your cost or disclose them to prospective buyers and reduce the selling price. But don’t make the mistake of hiding them, as truth will be revealed eventually.

Early disclosure of the problems would eliminate buyers’ suspicion. Price concession negotiations will not come up either. Altogether, you will have more selling power to you and the entire process will become faster.

3. Pre-listing home inspection helps generate more number of genuine leads
To list your house on property listing websites and marketplaces¹, you need to log in as an ‘owner’, ‘agent’, or ‘builder’. After that, you have to fill up the online form there with complete details of the property and post its pictures. Upon verification, your listing is made visible to your prospective buyers.

Only a good property listing – complete with all the information and pictures showing various parts of the house helps you draw more eyeballs. So, to make your property picture-perfect, you must get a thorough home inspection done and clean and repair everything that looks shabby and damaged in it.

In a nutshell, if you are a seller, try to consider everything from a home buyer’s perspective. See with a buyer’s eyes and you will know the true value of your property.

To give you a clearer idea, here are our 5 reasons to get a home inspection before listing your property for sale.

For a Developer

1. Improved trustworthiness & better business
How often have you heard marketers saying “Don’t sell a product, sell trust?” In today’s scenario, this is the ultimate truth, especially in real estate. A developer or realtor who promises a home inspection before handover and gets that heard through proper channels and promotion earns additional points. His credibility increases manifold and he can set a higher price for the property he is intending to sell.

Buyers too feel safer to enter into deals with real estate brands that promise them better service and take care of their interest. Business growth and stronger customer relationships are a natural outcome.

Click here to know more for further details.

2. Home inspection and property value: How is a buyer benefitted?
Today’s home buyers are much aware and cautious about what they are buying. They bank on information and genuine reviews before making an investment decision. So, when a seller or developer gives them the assurance of a pre-sale home inspection, they feel safe about that deal. Because, home inspection for a buyer comes with a bunch of advantages:

• It gives buyers a protection against the unknown hazards
• A timely inspection and rectification of issues save their money and valuable time
• Safeguards them with RERA²
• Gives them health and safety assurance against moisture, damp, and electrical issues
• Allows them to forecast future repair/ replacement costs
• Educates them about prolonging the life of their property

Above everything else, a home inspection gives buyers peace of mind that comes from knowing the fact that the home they are buying has a solid foundation. It is not just a construction that looks good from outside. Its health has been checked and ‘Okayed’ by a team of experts. This very thought helps to increase the perceived value of the property in the buyer’s mind and the deal reaches its completion smoothly.

Hence, the property value is definitely increased by home inspection. If you are planning a buy a new home or planning to put your home up for sale, do make sure you opt for the service or else you will get to face unwanted issues, a complete ‘un’-match for your dream abode. Call for it now and schedule a home inspection.

Reference links used:
1. https://www.makaan.com/rent-sell-property-online
2. https://www.bankbazaar.com/home-loan/rera-act.html

Almost on every weekend you spend time fixing something or the other in your home, right? You make it safer, more secure, eliminate any chance of damp – in simpler words, you strive to make your home more ‘liveable.’ But have you ever wondered the same issues may also be present in commercial spaces as well? If work is worship for you, your office must be your temple. Unfortunately, we do not pay the same attention to the health of the building where we spend almost 9 hours daily, working, and completely skip office inspection – well, almost, in most cases! It is high time we became aware of the attention commercial properties need. It will cumulatively make our life in and outside our home much safer and beautiful.

Quite similar to home inspection, office inspection also covers a wide range of services. To get an idea of what all comes under the umbrella of this so-called ‘inspection,’ read this article on Diversity of Home Inspection.

Major services under office inspection

Maintaining health and safety at the workplace is of utmost importance. Hazards can take place due to plumbing issues, electrical issues, and leakage or damp problems. All of them need individual attention when it comes to inspection. In fact, none of these issues can be left for them to arise in the future. The concerned authority must be proactive about checking every facility at regular intervals so that the chances of faults and failures can be reduced and any downtime due to them can be avoided.

Following are the major service categories that ensure complete safety of an office building:

1. All-over inspection

Professional property inspectors conduct a non-invasive, visual examination of all the accessible areas of an office complex using modern technology and specialized tools and look for issues that require immediate but long term resolution. They even help to identify areas that may become problematic in the long run. After inspection, they generate software-driven reports (with relevant images) mentioning issues observed and deemed critical. Some of the major areas that come under the scanner include:

• Exterior walls
  • Are there any cracks, efflorescence, or plants growing on the walls?
  • If the paint condition is good or not.
• Basement/ driveways: Water stagnation, peripheral drainage blockage, etc.
• Floor
  • Slope
  • Tiles – hollow tiles, joints grouting, dampness, slip resistance, etc.
• Stairways: Condition of the handrails, height of the risers, slip resistance of the steps, lighting, etc.
• Ladders, ramps, and guardrails
• Roof: Covered or not, slope, drainage system, stagnant water, cracks, seepage problem, etc.
• Plumbing system: The overall condition of the external as well as concealed piping system, leakage or blockage in the pipes, piping material, etc. Also Leakage or loose fittings in any component of the washrooms, tank, blockage in the basins, the functionality of the showers, etc.
• Overall sanitation of the washrooms and pantry
• Doors and windows
  • Locks and latches – Crucial for ensuring security
  • Sliding/ swinging door operability
  • Door and window frames – if there are any gaps in between them – pathways to water seepage
  • Proper opening and closure
• Interior walls
  • Cracks
  • Paint condition – popping paint or other paint deterioration
  • Dampness/ seepage
  • Wall tiles
  • Wallpaper condition
• Ceiling: Watery patches due to excessive condensation or leakage, paint condition, etc.
• Electrical system: Concealed wiring, switches, plugging points, lights, and machines and appliances, safety issues, etc. Checking all these things come under electrical inspection which is further explained below.
• Fire handling equipment
• Furniture, material storage, and other equipment

An exhaustive list – isn’t it? Inspecting all these for issues, small or big, is crucial for maintaining basic working conditions in an office. Faults in any of these systems may otherwise lead to unexpected downtime and loss in productivity.

2. Damp Assessment and Inspection

Damp can deteriorate a complete building – be it the private property or commercial space. This can be a result of faulty roofing, low-quality building materials, lack of proper ventilation or plumbing issues. Leaky pipes and fixtures are also responsible for dampness. With a proper damp assessment and inspection, you will save not only the office building but also the occupants. Damp assessment will list down the issues found in the building and inspection will reveal the sources – all with the help of advanced thermal imaging technology & tools that the inspection professionals carry with them.

Damp issues if ignored can severely affect the health of the workers as well as the building. How? Read Moisture / Damp / Seepage – The Invisible Silent Killer: Unsuspecting Criminal.

3. Electrical Inspection

Imagine a day at work when suddenly the lights went out and the computer monitors in front of the employees went blank. Reason? Short circuit, maybe. Of course, you can always call an electrician and mend the wires after it happens. But what about the loss of money and time and data when an electrical problem makes its way in?

Imagine electrical issues of a more serious nature. A short circuit can be as big as a fire break-out also and you know the consequences of it, right? To avoid any such untoward phenomenon that may also cause casualties, you must invest in a timely electrical inspection for it is a preventive maintenance function that reduces labour and material cost while reducing the amount of reactivity to failures.

To learn more about the differences between preventive and predictive maintenance, click here¹.

4. Checking fire safety

As already mentioned, a thorough inspection of the office building will invariably cover the aspect of fire safety. An office building is a commercial hub where many individuals come and work for long hours on a daily basis. So, there can be numerous risks of fire – some due to wrong habits like smoking in an enclosed area other than the designated zone, using ovens with LPG cylinder for cooking inside the canteen, and others due to electrical hazards.

In India, the National Building Code (NBC) published by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the basic model code for building construction and fire safety². For ensuring compliance under this code, commercial buildings need to use equipment/ installations that are duly certified under the BIS Certification Marks Scheme. Plus, they must also meet other quality requirements. An office inspection checks the fire safety controls and points out issues that may turn out to be hazardous in the long run. Some key areas that are looked at for ensuring fire safety include:

• Smoking zones
• Fire exits
• Kitchen equipment
• Malfunctioning appliances
• Electrical sockets
• Flickering lights
• Fire safety equipment

Why office inspection so important?

It would not be exaggerating to say that office inspection is the ultimate necessary thing for your office. The inspection would eliminate a number of issues which would add to your cost and human health on a recurrent basis:

• Safety hazards arising from faulty wiring system, non-functional switches, and unsafe working practices will be managed.
• Unhealthy conditions inside the office, growth of fungi, microbes, and pests lead to a myriad health problems. Be it plumbing issue or faults in the designing, damp assessment and a thorough inspection would eliminate any such possibilities from the commercial space.
• Excessive condensation problems in the building which may arise due to issues in AC installation/ maintenance and its continuous use can be checked.
• Hazards may occur due to uneven distribution of electricity as many equipment and appliances run simultaneously in an office. With office inspection in place, all possibilities of such hazards will be eliminated.
• If inspection points out civil issues, it will help the office authority financially also. Repairing can be done before they become severely damaged and replacement becomes the last option.
• Though not direct, but indirectly it affects employee satisfaction also. With a safe workplace and an office regularly inspected, employees develop a feeling that the management and authority are concerned about their overall well-being. And you can never deny that satisfied employees would mean improved productivity, achievement of objectives, and increased profitability; can you?

So, there you are. Starting from the exterior environment to work stations, all come under office inspection. When qualified inspectors give your office a visit, they will point you out where attention needs to be given more. A proper office inspection covers the parking lot, storage areas, wet areas (kitchen/ bathroom units), amenities, elevators – in a word, the entire workplace.

Office inspection informs the management about the risks of any level – mild, severe or moderate. You can control the threat and continue your work-life peacefully. As much as you care about the work, give attention to the office also because it is where you spend nine hours of your day, five to six days a week. Office inspection will provide you with multiple benefits. Be proactive and reach out to a trusted home inspection service provider.

Reference links used:
1. https://www.onupkeep.com/learning/maintenance-types/preventive-predictive
2. https://www.isrmag.com/fire-safety-regulations-in-india/