Home Inspection – this small two-word concept is more multi-dimensional than anyone can imagine. In India, both in urban and semi-urban areas, one cannot neglect home inspection any more.
Because there happens to be multiple aspects of a home inspection, it is useful not just to the homeowners; it is an indispensable solution for the real estate professionals, the interior designers, the home sellers, and the financial institutions. In the era of 5G Internet Of Things, the purview of a home inspection is getting expanded further.
Home Inspection finds out faults, defects, damages and dangers in the building or a unit (and around it) before they become too tough to handle.
Look at these three news headlines
- Mahad Building collapse: ‘Building started developing cracks three years after it was constructed’ (Indian Express1, August 2020)
- Notice issued to the builder for latent defects in the building after the owner notices leakage during the rainy season. (Case Mine2, 2013)
- Paint factory in Mandhana gutted in fire due to electrical short circuit, loss of lakhs. (Times of India3, October 2020)
Home Inspection: A Blessing for The Home Owner/Buyer
Imagine you worked hard, exerted yourself for 10 years to buy your dream house. But just after three years, you notice that your dream home has started developing cracks or dampness. All your dreams would come crashing down.
Home Inspection helps the home buyer assess the condition of the house they are about to buy. This will make sure that the buyer does not get any rude shock after a few years of buying the house. The importance of home inspection increases manifolds if the buyer is buying an old house from a seller.
Even if you are already living in your house for years, it is necessary to inspect your home to ensure the safety of your family and to increase the longevity of your house by identifying the areas where prior repair work or an annual maintenance is needed.
How Home Inspection Benefits the Buyers and Owners?
- With Home Inspection, the buyer can identify if any part of the newly made building / flat is not built properly. It can identify areas where cracks are likely to appear in the future, it can identify if the house is prone to moisture damage. In short, Home Inspection will help buyers to get value for money.
- Home Inspection examines the nuances – it will examine if the bathroom floor and terrace are slanting enough to allow proper drainage of water. It will ensure if any part of the house (old) is covered with paint to hide moulds. It will also ensure that the exterior part of the house – including the ground – is up to the mark. Read here what exactly do we do during Home Inspection.
- By identifying areas where immediate repair work is needed, Home Inspection ensures the safety of the residents.
- Above all, Home Inspection saves you a lot of money by identifying the areas of repair that can be quite expensive to repair if they are left neglected for a few more years. Time is money – early detection and correction of damages will be beneficial for your purse.
Home Inspection: A Seller’s Friend
The seller of an old house will also benefit from Home Inspection. In fact, Home Inspection will give the sellers a better bargaining proposition. Here’s how:
- The moment you buy a house, its value starts depreciating. A well-cared house, with regular Home Inspection to find and repair damages, will have a lesser depreciation rate than a not so well maintained house.
- A well-maintained house can help you ask for more money from the buyer.
- With Home Inspection, you can avoid severe damage by taking care of the small damages in time.
- A seller who can truthfully show the pros and cons of the house will get respect from the buyer. Also, the seller can avoid any lawsuit in the future by truthfully showing the outcome of the Home Inspection.
Home Inspectors: The Eyes and Ears of the Real Estate Developer
The developer / promoter cannot be present during the building development process. However, it is essential to supervise the development / construction of the building in order to ensure satisfactory artistry and usage of quality building materials.
The importance of Home Inspection has increased manifold after the passing of RERA Act that rules that the developer has to repair any damage to the newly made house if it develops any damages within 5 years from the date of handover.
- Home Inspection can find faults during the development of the building. Identifying a fault before a building is made will result in correcting that problem by spending less amount of money than what you would have spent if the building was in a ready-for-possession state.
- With the Home Inspectors present, the developer himself will not have to micromanage the building development.
- Home Inspection will save real estate developers from the clutches of the RERA Act by ensuring superior workmanship and usage of quality building materials.
- Home Inspection works as the third-party audit of the building which gives the buyers peace of mind and enhances the reputation of the developer.
Home Inspection: A Smart Tool for Smarter Real Estate Agents
Any responsible real estate agent would like to stay true to his words. Home Inspection will help him do just that.
Real Estate agents do not build the house – they are there to find a customer and sell the house to the customer. However, there is a huge trust deficit when it comes to the relationship between the buyers and the agents. A smart real estate agent would love to amend this trust issue.
Here is how Home Inspection Enhances the Image of The Real Estate Agent:
- A real estate agent who can furnish the proof that the building is inspected and passed by a registered Home Inspector will be trusted by the home buyer.
- Any issue identified by the Home Inspector must be revealed to the buyer. If the real estate agent does that, he will be respected by the buyer for his truthfulness.
- Real estate agents can avoid lawsuits and breach of contract, by informing the buyers beforehand about the issues concerning the house.
When Home Inspection Meets Interior Decoration – a Marriage made in Heaven
Interior Decorators who perform Home Inspection will go a long way in their career. There is more than one reason how conducting a home inspection before starting and also during the decoration work can help the interior decorators.
- Suppose an interior decorator has to stick a nail to the wall. As he starts hammering down, a big chunk of outer plaster falls off. The homeowner will obviously blame the interior decorator. But actually, that portion of the wall was weak due to too much moisture. A prior home inspection would have revealed this issue. So, Home Inspection keeps the decorator safe from unjust blames.
- A faulty area of the house is not the liability of the interior decorator. It is the homeowner who should spend money to repair the damage. Home Inspection can thus help decorators avoid spending money on things that they are not supposed to be in the purview of the decorator.
- If any portion or accessory of the house gets damaged during the decoration work, it can unnecessarily delay the work of the decorator. Home Inspection acts as a detection tool for the interior decorator. It can help the decorator estimate the overall structural condition, detect invisible dampness and potentially weak areas of the house. This knowledge can help the interior decorator serve clients in a much more comprehensive fashion.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. With the advent of sensor-based home-devices, the importance of Home Inspection will be felt much more strongly in the coming years. Home Inspection is a must for anybody who is dealing with a house.
FAQs
1. Home Inspection – Is it worth it?
Ans. Home Inspection is really worthwhile. Just like you cannot see the viruses that can make you sick, you cannot see all the dampness, moulds or small cracks that can severely damage your house in the future.
A Home Inspection Today Will Save Your Money Tomorrow.
2. What happens in a Home Inspection? What should you expect?
Ans. Home Inspection is not one thing – it is a group of tasks. Home Inspectors:
- Look for leaks and seepage of water from the pipes, tanks and other areas.
- Thoroughly check for hidden dampness/seepage that can be detrimental to the health of both the house and its inhabitants. With modern infrared detectors, home inspectors can now forecast areas where you can expect moisture-related problems within a few areas.
- Check if there are any cracks in the wall and the ceiling.
- Check the drainage system in the bathroom, on the terrace etc.
- Look for damages to the window and the door.
- Look for unsafe wiring and electrical equipment.
… and much more …
3. Can I find Home Inspection service near me?
Ans. Yes, Home Inspection is gradually becoming a popular term in India. Please visit this page to know where to find Home Inspection service near you.
Reference links used:
1. https://indianexpress.com/article/india/mahad-building-collapse-building-started-developing-cracks-three-years-after-it-was-constructed/
2. https://www.casemine.com/judgement/in/59f94c514a932658e9cc1ed3
3. https://m.timesofindia.com/city/kanpur/paint-factory-in-mandhana-gutted-in-fire-loss-of-lakhs/amp_articleshow/78502713.cms