You've finally found the home of your dreams, 4 bedrooms, attached garage, and a

 great neighborhood. You set your sights on the freshly painted walls, new carpeting,

beautiful cabinets and a huge back yard. What are you forgetting? Everything else!

Don't forget about the plumbing, heating, A/C, electrical, insulation, ventilation, exterior

and roof. These are the most overlooked items because most people do not know what to look for. 

You decide to make an offer on the home. What's next? You need to get the home inspected.

When you made the offer, your realtor should have gone over the inspection contingency in your contract.

Simply stated, it's a clause in the contract that your offer is contingent upon a home inspection, and you

have a certain amount of time to get the home inspected. It allows you to have an unbiased professional look

beneath the cosmetic items into the complex working components of a home. It also allows you to either

renegotiate your offer based on the inspection, or at the very least, it lets you know what lies ahead if

you decide to purchase the home.  A seller's disclosure statement is optional and most sellers are honest, but

many people don't realize that problems may exist in their home.

Your basic home inspection is a limited visual inspection in which the inspector reviews the

interior, exterior, electrical systems, switches, outlets & fixtures, heating, air conditioning & cooling,

pumps, water heaters, plumbing & fixtures, roofing, insulation, walls, doors, windows, fireplaces, fences,

foundations, patios, walkway & driveways, kitchen appliances, baths, etc.

How long will your home inspection take?
Depending on the size, age and condition of the home, a thorough home inspection should take between

2 1/2 - 4 hours.  In some cases, a smaller home (1000 sq. ft. or less) can be inspected in 2 hours.