What is a Home Inspection?
- Comprehensive reports help you see your home through the eyes of a critical, third-party, thus helping you to be more realistic about the listing price.
- You will be informed about any safety issues discovered, prior to buyer’s agents and potential buyers touring your home.
- If there are any repairs to be made, they can be attended to ahead of time. This could save you hundreds of dollars because you will have more time to make an educated decision rather than rushing later. You may even be able to handle some of the repairs yourself!
- As you can imagine, homes tend to show better when they appear to have been well maintained.
- Comprehensive reports help you see the home through the eyes of a critical, third-party.
- Having this information prior to writing a contract on your home can help you negotiate the best purchase price.
- Information received during the inspection review period helps prepare you for owning your new home.
Preliminaries
You will be asked to review and sign a Pre-Inspection Agreement prior to the inspection. You may preview this agreement by clicking on the tab to the left.
You are encouraged to accompany me during the inspection. Your questions and comments are always welcomed.
Note: A typical home inspection will take between two or three hours.
*** Payment is due at the time of inspection. A check is made payable to Patrick X. Kelley. ***
Overview
This is covered in detail in the Pre-Inspection Agreement.
Visual Inspection of the following:
Interior (non-cosmetic concerns)
Foundation Basement Crawl space
Framing / Structure
Roof / Attic
Chimney
Kitchen /Bath
Plumbing System
Electrical System
Heating
A/C Unit*
Other Service:
Asset Evaluation
Thermal Imaging Services
Winterization / De-Winterization
*When
testing any A/C system, the exterior temperature must remain above 65
degrees for a 24-hour period prior to the A/C unit being tested, or
damage can occur.
Completion
Upon completion of the inspection we will verbally discuss the summary of my findings and you will have another opportunity to ask any addition questions.
The typed inspection summary is forwarded, via email or fax, to all indicated parties within 48 hours.
A comprehensive report including all handwritten notes taken at the time of inspection, a receipt for payment, a client satisfaction survey and valuable new home buyer information is mailed via USPS upon completion of the report**
** This full report is deemed your sole property and no other party is entitled to see it, without your permission.
Ethics
As an Illinois State Licensed and certified home inspector, it would be unethical for me or any other home inspector to recommend contractors, estimate repair costs, recommend whether or not you should purchase the home, comment on its market value, or benefit in any way from the repair or sale of the home.
Disclaimer
My inspection is limited to the condition of the house at the time of inspection and what is visually accessible. It is important to understand that an inspection in not a warranty and that it is limited. Due to the time limitation provided for an inspection, it is not practical to inspect the thousands of components that create a home. You can trust me to rely on my professional experience to optimize the time available.