Six Questions Everyone Should Ask During a Home Inspection
A home inspection is often viewed as a formality: just one of many steps involved in buying or selling real estate. But beyond that, it’s a valuable opportunity for buyers who want to learn more about their new home.
While you can learn a lot just by attending a home inspection , you can learn even more by asking the right questions. But if you’re going through this process for the first time or owning a home, it can be difficult to know where to start. That’s why I asked Mike Powell, PE, CPI, an experienced home inspector withRed Flag Home Inspection in Tampa, Florida, about some of his favorite questions to ask buyers during an inspection and why they are especially helpful.
When to Ask Questions During a Home Inspection
Before we get into the questions, let’s talk about when to ask them. For example, should you ask questions about your home’s HVAC system while standing in front of the furnace—and risk interrupting the inspector’s process—or wait until the end? Ultimately, it depends on your inspector’s preference. Powell, for example, maintains a routine during inspections, systematically covering all aspects of the site, and prefers to ask questions during breaks or post-inspection discussions.
“Waiting for the right moment ensures that I can maintain my focus and attention to detail,” he says. “It’s about finding the right balance between being informative and respecting the professionalism involved in the review process.”
Before the inspection officially begins, ask the inspector whether you should ask questions as they arise during the process or leave them until a break or end. Either way, it can be helpful to make a list of questions as you think about them during the review, either on your phone or on paper, so you remember to ask them when the time comes.
Questions to Ask During a Home Inspection
It can be difficult to come up with questions right away, especially if you’re not familiar with the process and don’t know what to ask. Powell says his favorite questions to answer are those that demonstrate a buyer’s genuine interest in understanding the condition of the home, including:
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Can you explain more about this issue you found? Information in inspection reports is limited, so it may be helpful to ask the inspector to provide more information about any problems found, including what exactly is wrong and how to resolve them.
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How serious is this problem and what are the potential consequences if it is not addressed? In addition to finding out the issues that need to be addressed, ask the inspector the questions that are most pressing. This will help you prioritize needed repairs, including when negotiating the terms of sale.
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Are there any scheduled maintenance tasks for this property that I should be aware of? Sometimes the age or location of a home may mean it requires additional maintenance costs. Ask the inspector about current maintenance tasks as well as any upcoming tasks.
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Can you show me how to work with [specific system or component]? Not sure how your home’s HVAC system works? Now is your chance to ask and get a demo.
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What is the expected life of [a major component such as a roof or HVAC system]? Having a general idea of how long various appliances, systems and parts of your home will last can help you budget for potential replacements.
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Are there any signs of potential problems in the near future? If the inspector has experience with other homes in the neighborhood, especially those that were built around the same time as yours, he or she may have an idea of the potential problems you may encounter in the future. This doesn’t mean you should base your purchasing decision on a hypothetical future problem, but knowing what to watch for in the future can help you catch a small problem before it becomes a big one.
The bottom line, Powell says, is to remember that you’re hiring a home inspector to be your advocate, and asking questions helps them fulfill that role more effectively.