You do your house hunting and search in vain for that perfect home! You find the house you love, put offers in, negotiate your best deal, and then you get a call from your agent that you just went under contract!  What a relief, right?

Then your agent informs you have you are in Due Diligence.  This is a fancy way of saying that a homebuyer should not depend on the word or knowledge of the seller (even though, legally, the seller must reveal all known defects in the home), but has an obligation to thoroughly investigate the property. The due diligence period typically runs from the time the purchase contract is signed by all parties until a date negotiated on by both the buyer and the seller.

Due diligence is something you should not take too lightly. This process ensures that the home is in acceptable condition. That you know what you are buying.

Any home may be hiding an expensive secret or two, and it’s up to you to get it to “spill the beans.” Let me share with you a few of the more common additional inspections buyers are recommended to consider during the due diligence period.

Inspect the whole-house 

Call this one the mack-daddy of inspections; it’s the one the real estate industry insists be performed on every transaction. From crawlspace (or basement) to the roof line, this covers every aspect from structural to mechanical, electrical to plumbing, in the house! A home inspector friend of mine told me one time that as a home inspector, he’s like a general practitioner or ER doctor. He knows generally what to look for on every element of the house and can find out ‘what’s ailing’ the home!

On that full home inspection they will carry out an inspection of all of the home’s systems, which will be checked thoroughly. From the HVAC to plumbing and electrical. Whereas in the past, this was a visual inspection, today with infrared technology, a good inspector can also show you what might be hiding behind the walls or in areas of the home that aren’t visible to the naked eye.

The inspector will also make note of potential problems – those that may occur in the near future. Examples of this include faulty grading of the landscaping and possible moisture intrusion. Deferred maintenance that has been accumulating for example. Gutters that need to be cleaned out to rotten trim or fascia.  HVAC systems that are not working efficiently.

“Conditions at a home for sale can change radically in only a day or two, so a home inspection is not meant to guarantee what condition a home will be in when the transaction closes,” claims Nick Gromicko and Kenton Shepard of the International Association of Home Inspectors (InterNACHI) “It’s not uncommon for conditions to change between the time of the inspection and the closing date,” they conclude.

The organization offers an excellent resource about what to expect from a home inspection on its website.

For the remainder of this post including tips on pests to septic to air quality and more, please check out the Find My Home GA Blog!