Real Estate Inspection – Do Your Own

Why should you do your own real estate inspection? To get a better deal. It isn’t necessary to learn building codes, and you probably should use a professional inspector in any case. The point of learning what to look for is to have negotiating points.

Home Inspection Checklist

With a good inspection checklist, you won’t forget things. There are more than a hundred items on my own list. Could you keep all those in mind as you walk through a property? Did you remember to look for water stains on the basement walls the last time you looked at a house? Bring a list!

A good list is organized by area of the house, usually starting outside. As you walk around and then through the home, check each item on the list. Be sure to take notes. If the gutter is coming loose on the side of the house, write that down, along with notes about rotten wood or anything else associated with it.

Don’t worry if you don’t know the difference between 12-gauge and 14-gauge wiring. The point isn’t to become an expert on all the building trades, as useful as that would be. Just use what you do know. Note if something looks “odd” or...