A. A home inspection is an important step in the home buying
process.
Professionally trained home inspectors assist in maintaining the health of
your home and a property inspection makes home maintenance easy by catching minor
problems before they become big projects.
In just a few hours you'll have a
detailed report of the condition of your home so that you can plan for needed repairs
and upgrades when it's time to make them. When purchasing a home, many homebuyers have
saved literally thousands of dollars through information provided by the home inspector.
Homeowners who have owned their homes for several years can even benefit from a
home inspector's knowledge of maintenance and repairs, and experience to avert potential
problems.
Many independent and nonprofit organizations exist to promote ethical
practice and professional standards throughout the home inspection industry.
We
don't print our reports on site, so the inspector has a chance to think about the words
used to document the defects observed.
A. When buying a new home, new construction home or a pre-owned home, you need an inspection for your peace of mind. Sellers also benefit from home inspections by knowing the condition of their home before listing. They are spared the embarrassment of the buyer's home inspector finding major defects with their home that they were not aware of and possibly will hold up the real estate transaction. If your new home still has a home warranty through a builder it is smart to have a home inspection before it expires.
A. Home Inspectors have the training, experience and
competence that comes with being in the industry and inspecting hundreds of homes. We
know what to look for and what to look at. Considering the average home, there are
literally hundreds items that should be inspected.
While you or someone you may
know can examine the home and roughly determine the overall condition of it, inspectors
inspect homes daily, each and every week throughout the year and know exactly what to
look for in a home. We detect minor/major flaws, defects in workmanship, improper
installation and construction parameters and unsafe conditions that the general public
would miss.
A. The industry is full of inspectors who neither have the training, experience or qualifications to qualify as a home inspector. A professional knows what to look for and reports the condition to their clients in a detailed report outlining the condition of the home and provides insight to the buyer regarding the actual condition of all the items in the home, so the buyer can make an informed buying decision.
A. The cost of your inspection depends on the number of bedrooms, age, and number of fixed AC units that serve the home. Testing for radon and termite inspections are additional.
A. Every home is different depending on the number of defects observed, but the average time is 2 to 3 hours to inspect the entire property.
A. A completed inspection report is about 15-20 pages including graphics and based upon the state of the home inspected, the more things found in the home that are deficient, the more the report contains.
A. Yes, if it is possible, you should be there at the home inspection. We recommend that you be present at your home inspection so that you can ask your inspector any questions and see first hand any areas needing maintenance or repair.
A. Yes, feel free to call anytime.
A. There are many in our industry with neither the knowledge, experience nor qualification to inspect houses. Hopefully, the new (2020) law in Montana of requiring home inspectors to register (after proving certain standards) will help this. At Touchstone Home Inspection Services we are registered and we provide warranties on all our inspections at no cost to the client. We are not aware of any other home inspector that does this.
A. This will vary upon the size and age of the house as well as what other inspections will be needed (barns, shops, other outbuildings).
A. The average inspection report will be between 35 and 55 pages with a summary of some of the more important
findings. This summary should not be considered the only portion of the report to read as the full report will contain
other deficiencies that a buyer should be aware of.
I have also attached information I passed out to real estate offices about registration that you may be able to use.
If you would like to request more information or a quote, please
call us toll free at 406-802-4342.
or take the time to
fill out our Request a Quote form, and we'll be in touch
shortly.