Is it compulsory to have a home inspected before buying it? In some cases, a lender may require this as part of the loan process. However, in some cases an inspection may be unnecessary. It is important for buyers to have homes inspected before signing the dotted line.
The price of a home inspection can vary significantly. The whole process will take approximately one to four hours to be completed. For a truly accurate and thorough inspection, a one to four hour time frame is recommended.
Home inspection fees
In most cases, the first question many people ask home inspectors is how much is charged rather than important questions like experience, qualifications or perhaps how they get most of their business. The age and size of homes differ, this means that some newer or smaller homes can be inspected in two to three hours while older or larger homes will require about four hours.
Some home inspection reports may take about an hour or two to be completed, while other could take four or more hours. Inspectors use different criteria to quote home inspection costs. Some charge per square foot of the living area while others charge flat rate. Some may also charge by square foot of the area under the roof.
Some inspectors base their charges on the cost of the home, and others will use the amount of time spent to write the quotation. On average, the rate of Seattle area home inspection is approximately $425-$600 (as mentioned earlier) based on the living area. Other inspectors may charge up to $800 or even more.
All inspectors may not be able to cover same area of the home. Some of them can decline to give reports on specific areas. For instance free standing sheds, pole barns or swimming pools are most often left out in home inspection write-ups.
These limitations are supposed to be looked into just before hiring an inspector. Note that the main goal of home inspection is to find out any costly or unpleasant “surprises” prior to signing any contracts. If the inspector is not able to give the entire home a much closer examination, the report may not serve its intended purpose.
Good reports should review the following areas:
- Foundation
- Crawl Space
- Basement
- Roof
- Attic
- Structure
- Interior and exterior
- Siding and gutters
- Windows and doors
- Plumbing
- Heating and cooling
- Electrical
- Drainage
- Pest issues
Home inspection costs depend greatly on the size and age of the home. Different inspectors write their quotes based on several factors such as time and cost of the home, among others.
