Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Home Inspection Consumer Information Guide

Newly issued Home Inspection Guide is a tip sheet for Consumers home buyers know just what to look for in the current real estate buyer's market and to make home buyers aware that a thorough home inspection takes time and requires skill. The guides contain the vital information savvy buyers need to keep from being stuck with a money pit.

West Patterson, NJ (PRWEB) September 29, 2009 -- Newly issued Home Inspection Guide is a tip sheet for Consumers home buyers. It offers home buyers a simple, guide about home inspections, home inspectors and the home inspection process. The guide is available on line at Home Inspection Information. Michael Del Greco, President of Accurate Inspections, is the consummate expert; he has conducted thousands of home inspections over his 16 year career. He knows exactly where to look to uncover potential property problems. He warns that a quality home inspection takes time and that home buyers should expect to pay a reasonable amount for a professional inspector.

"Many home buyers have been deceived into believing a home inspection takes only two or three hours. A quality home inspection by a trained and experienced individual usually takes about six hours for the average home. ( ½ hour travel to the home, inspectors usually arrive a ½ hr early, 2 to 3 hours at the home with you, ½ hour back to office, 1 hour to type the report, ½ hour to print copy and post the report to the web site, ½ hour back to the home to pick up the radon canister, ½ hour back to the office and ½ hour for the time spent at the home picking up the radon canister and final paperwork).

"Hiring a real professional for six hours for less than one would pay a taxi driver is not at all realistic," said Del Greco, president of the West Patterson firm. "With a surplus of properties on the market, available home buyers have their choice of exactly what properly to purchase, However, more properties on the market mean more potential headaches. Often distressed properties have not been properly maintained and if buyers are not careful, they will end up purchasing a home with more problems than they ever thought possible.

Del Greco has also assembled an invaluable home inspection checklist of essential items to assess before purchasing a new home home inspection checklist "If any of these problems occur after the purchase of the home, the problems are yours and you'll be stuck with thousands of dollars in repairs for problems you could have easily discovered," he said.

The checklist is divided into separate areas covering interiors, exteriors, heating and cooling, plumbing, electrical, and kitchens.

Today's market is full of foreclosures, short sales and homes people just could not afford. When paying a mortgage gets difficult one of the first things to get postponed is home maintenance. Uncovering problems before a home purchase gives buyers a key upper hand - they can either walk away from the transaction or can attempt to factor repair costs into a discount on the asking price. Either way, an inspection is a vital ingredient for an informed decision.

In addition, home buyers using a single checklist on each home have a single frame of reference to compare multiple properties.

Most buyers might find are not confident in carrying out their own inspections. If so, Del Greco recommends using a qualified and experienced home inspector to conduct a thorough property evaluation. But buyers should be realistic about the amount they pay. Home Inspectors are professionals and home buyers are paying for both their services and their expertise.

"Just like any other industry there are good home inspectors and bad ones," Del Greco cautions, "Home buyers have an obligation to themselves to seek out referrals from friends, relatives and their attorney in order to select a qualified and experienced home inspector. Those sources are free from all conflicts of interest and are more likely to provide referrals to home inspectors who can be candid about what they find wrong with the home and to provide repair suggestions."

"If you buying a $450,000 home and the inspection fee is around $600, the inspection fee is less than 0.14 percent of the cost of the home. The cost of a quality home inspection is a bargain," Del Greco said.

To view more information visit Local Home Inspections

About Accurate Inspections and Michael Del Greco
Michael Del Greco is President of Accurate Inspections, Inc. The New Jersey home inspection firm has performed thousands of NJ Home Inspections since 1993, taught the New Jersey Home Inspector Licensing classes and New Jersey Home Inspector CEU classes as well as participated in developing questions for the National Home Inspector Exam.

For a listing of home inspectors consumers may go to home inspector directory or to NJ Mold Inspection and NJ Mold Testing information.

Contact
Michael Del Greco
973-812-5100

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