More Housing Questions - Home Inspection.

CommunistCow

I'm under contract and I'm getting a house inspected by a general inspector with a radon test and I'm also getting a sewer scope done. I've heard of and seen some people use IR cameras to do a thermal inspection of a house to check for proper insulation and for possible water leaks that are not visible. Does anyone know if something like this is really useful or if it is just gimmicky / overkill? I've googled around with phrases like "how useful is a thermal inspection for a house" and haven't come up with much. I think I'm leaning towards not using it unless you guys convince me otherwise.

Also, do you guys have any insightful things I should ask the inspector or ask to have done?

mts

i would say it's more important for water damage, though i don't know how accurate they are. there are usually other signs to look for.

is he going to check everything or just radon and the sewer? most inspections check everything

make sure you do the walkthrough with him and ask questions about everything

lessthanpi

How old is this house? If its relatively modern I'd posit that you would be wasting time and money getting a thermal scan done. That said they shouldn't be more than a few hundred dollars. Compared to all the other housing expenses its relatively cheap.

If its an older house, say 1950 or older, then it might be worth knowing about just because you're likely to want to get some sort of improved insulation in any areas where it's lacking. My wife and I had some "drill and fill" insulation installed in our 1920 built home and it make a huge improvement in temperatures. Insulation makes a hell of a mess though, get it done before you move in.

If your inspector is any good he'll cover everything you can think of and a bunch of things that would never occur to you as well. If it's someone who came highly recommended or has great reviews on the internet and the like you'll be just fine.

Just a few things I would look for
- any evidence of mold/insects/rodents
- a modern electrical setup with room for expansion
- newer furnace, water heater, air conditioning, all high efficiency
- signs of water leaking due to rain/snow/etc in the basement
- condition of the roof/shingles/etc (this one is damn expensive to replace)

If it's not hooked up to city water/sewer make sure your inspector gets a good idea of the septic and well quality. My parents have a well that runs dry easily and they can't do simple things like wash clothes and shower on the same day. City services are nice.

jwideman

It would help to know the purpose of the inspection.

ihmmy

depends a lot on the environment you're in. If you're in an area with lots of hot and/or cold temperatures (i.e. temperatures that mandate A/C for survival, or get below about -15) you're could be wasting buttloads of energy on keeping the house your ideal temperature when that tempered air keeps leaking out. On the other hand, with basic home inspections they usually take a peek into the attic to see what the insulation looks like (assuming they have attic access)

Figgy

jwideman wrote: »

It would help to know the purpose of the inspection.

What?

The purpose of the inspection is to minimize surprises after the purchase. It's a general home inspection.

schuss

1. Do NOT use the person your realtor recommends
2. Get recommendations from friends/coworkers or look up people through http://www.nahi.org/ . You want the dude to be super-anal and knowledgeable.

Arryn

From personal experience: Check to make sure the amperage ratings for the wiring and the breakers match. One of the houses I was thinking of buying recently had a breaker rated at 40, but the wiring was only rated for 35. So by the time the breaker would've flipped, the wires would have been way over.

Later over some beers with a buddy, he told me that happens more often than one would think. Now that's on my "always check" list.

CommunistCow

So I cancelled the inspection with the company my realtor set up and went with another one that was recommended by my neighbor and was highly rated online.

@lessthanpi the house was built in 1960 and the current owners did not seem to know the age of the roof or water heater and they've been there since '03. I also scheduled a specific roofing inspector to come out. So hopefully I've got my bases covered.