New Orleans Home Inspection Reports
I am a big proponent of New Orleans home buyers doing thorough inspections of a property they are buying. As a matter of fact, I’ll give you a stern lecture and make you sign the “my agent told me not to be a dummy” form in the event that you don’t want to spend the money to protect yourself.
That said, once you’ve had the inspections done, too many of the home inspection reports are difficult for buyers to understand. (Note: I said too many, not all. There are some great inspection reports out there.)
They are often filled with language designed to avoid any liability on the inspector’s part in the event that they miss something. For some inspectors, the default comment for each section of the report is “licensed contractor to further inspect” when they find even the tiniest thing wrong with a house. We know they don’t want to put their butts on the line, but what could be wrong with providing their opinion on how a defect should be handled? A little advice that lets a buyer know if this is a big deal or a $5 repair would go a long way towards giving people confidence that they are making an informed decision to move forward with a purchase or to cancel a contract.
What are buyers paying for?
In my opinion, you aren’t paying for someone to hedge their bets. You’re paying for a professional opinion, with professional solutions. That’s why it’s important to attend your home inspection whenever possible. It’s your chance to ask specific questions to determine if the inspector is in CYA mode or an item truly needs further inspection by a specialist – and why the inspector is giving that recommendation.
Go. Observe. Ask questions. And if, when you receive your report, there is anything that you don’t understand, get that inspector on the phone and make them go through it with you line by line if necessary. It’s your right and their obligation to you as a customer.
