The smartest money you will ever spend when buying a home

Buying a home is an exciting time, filled with dreams for the future. Homebuyers often envision what their new home will look like once they have moved in and put their personal touch into it - or perhaps even making a few improvements.

One of the best ways to ensure you have a great home buying experience is to get a premium home inspection before closing on your home. A general home inspection covers the basics. If you are willing to spend a little extra money, your inspector may be able to dig deeper to look for potential issues with mold, termites, asbestos & radon.

Protect Yourself from Unpleasant Surprises

Sadly, a dream home turned into something of a nightmare for one of our recent borrowers. Before moving in the couple wanted to complete a few minor renovations, which included opening up a wall in the family room.

Imagine their dismay when a few swings of the hammer led them to a termite nest buried deep in the wall! Getting rid of the termites and repairing the damage they caused wound up costing this family thousands of dollars - money they had not planned on spending.

In hindsight, this costly repair may have been prevented by an in-depth home inspection. The home they were buying was an older home in an established neighborhood. Paying an additional fee to the inspector for extra services during the home inspection would have likely identified the termite problem, allowing the buyers to negotiate with the sellers to address the issue before closing.

Home Inspection Nuances

You would not purchase a car these days without doing your research and getting a vehicle history or inspection report. A home inspection gives you the same peace of mind.

The price of a home inspection will vary based on the items you want to have inspected, the square footage and the age of the home.

Typically speaking, a standard home inspection will cover:

• The general condition of the home
• Roof
• Plumbing
• Major appliances
• Electrical systems
• Heating & AC systems
• Foundation
• Fireplaces (if applicable)

Living along the Gulf Coast often means homes may have issues with termites or mold. That is why we believe it is a good idea to spend the extra money to make sure your home inspector checks:

• Termites
• Mold
• Asbestos
• Radon

There is an additional cost  for these additional inspections .. However, this could potentially save you thousands of dollars in unexpected costs, as was the case with the borrowers in this story, and many like them who have found themselves in similar situations.

Enjoy Living in Your New Home

We believe in helping families in our community realize their dreams of homeownership. We want those to be happy dreams, not ones filled with stress about unexpected repairs or expenses.

Getting a home inspection is a smart decision. Make sure to shop around when it comes to choosing a home inspector. Interview each one and make sure you understand what is and what is not covered by the inspection. If necessary, consider spending the extra money to make sure things like termites and mold are covered.

Call one of our loan officers near you to discuss lending options or get prequalified today