Home inspections:
A home inspection is done after a buyer has an accepted offer to purchase on a home. There are time frames you must abide by for doing a home inspection or any other inspection the clause “within 10 days of this acceptance”. Is usually included in your offer to purchase to cover inspections.    These inspection/inspections should be performed by a State Certified Home Inspector.  You can verify if a home inspector is certified at www.state.ma.us/reg/boards and scroll down to Home Inspectors.

A standard home inspection is a visual examination of the physical structure and major interior systems of the property you are purchasing.  A home inspection is not an appraisal, a building code inspection, a guarantee of any kind and/or an insurance policy on the condition of the property. 

During the inspection, the inspector will review the readily accessible exposed portions of the structure of the home, including the roof, the attic, walls, ceilings, floors, windows, doors, basement and foundation as well as the heating/air conditioning systems, interior plumbing and electrical systems for potential problems.
 

Selecting a Home Inspector

Good referral sources are friends, neighbors or business acquaintances who have been satisfied with a home inspector.  Real estate brokers are not aloud to recommend a specific home inspector unless they are working as a Buyers Agent representing the Buyer then they can assist the buyer in accessing information on licensed home inspectors.

During the Home Inspection

It is recommended and encouraged that the Buyer be present at the inspections, this will allow you to watch and ask questions directly to the inspector and if there an issue is present,  to better understand the circumstances surrounding that issue.  You as the buyer may also want to understand how some systems work and what it takes to maintain them.

At the end of the inspection you should receive a written report that will summarize the findings of the inspection.  At this point in time you would want to set up a time to review it with your agent and maybe request repairs if necessary but this is optional.  Every transaction is different so each should be reviewed carefully.  You do have time frames after the home inspection that you have to adhere to so don’t waste too much time between meeting with your agent and getting back to the seller with any requests.

There are other tests that you may want to perform: ie Radon testing, Lead Testing, Water Quality & Quantity test, Septic inspection, pest inspections.  These also have to be done within the time limit established in the Offer to Purchase contract.