The process of buying a house in Colorado is lengthy. Once a house seller accepts a buyer’s offer, the buyer enters into a contract. Then, you can initiate a home inspection.
Home inspections in Colorado can be scheduled immediately after a buyer comes under a contract. Here are some commonly asked questions and answers about home inspections in Colorado.
What Is Inspection Objection?
Homebuyers must arrange a home inspection before the “inspection objection.” The objection refers to the date a buyer must inform the seller about the repairs or maintenance work they wish to do in the house.
How Long Does A Home Inspector Require To Complete The Process?
Depending on the kind of home a buyer invests in, home inspections in Colorado may take about 2-3 hours. If the house is big, old, or fixer-upper, the inspection will take longer than 3 hours. Also, a home inspector would need extra time if the sewer scope is included in the inspection process.
Who Should Be Present When A Home Inspection Is Being Carried Out?
A buyer may or may not be present during the home inspection. However, their presence is highly recommended. In a few states, realtors are restricted from attending home inspections as they are believed to exert their influence during the inspection.
Which Parts Of The House Should A Home Inspector Examine?
Home inspectors are expected to examine the following elements of a home:
- Roof
- Basement or crawlspace
- Heating or cooling system
- Plumbing
- Electrical system
- Foundation of the house
- Walls and ceilings
- Floors and windows
The home inspection process in Colorado does not include radon testing and sewer scopes. But these are highly recommended. Also, home inspectors will not evaluate the quality of an item or items they cannot access in the house.
How Should The Seller Prepare For A Home Inspection?
Sellers need to ensure that the home inspector and the buyer (if present) can explore every nook and cranny of the house during the inspection. Also, before the arrival of the home inspector, they can do the following:
- Get all the drains cleaned,
- Check for any sign of water leakage,
- Flush all the toilets,
- Caulk around sinks, windows, doors, and windows,
- Have the furnace filter replaced,
- Get all broken bulbs replaced,
- Ensure the presence of carbon monoxide detectors,
- Have all the pilot lights turned on,
- Check if the grading is appropriate and if the water flows away from the house,
- Ensure the presence of a downspout extension,
- Ensure that the fuse box is labeled,
- Have damaged window screens replaced, and so on.
If defects are discovered during the home inspection, a buyer might request that the seller complete all the repairs and maintenance work before closing the deal.
Buyers invest their time, energy, and money in buying and inspecting a house. They may terminate the contract if they find any significant issues. So, sellers must ensure that the house to be sold is safe and habitable.
What Happens After A Buyer Receives The Inspection Report?
A buyer may receive their inspection report on the same day or a few days after. The inspection report will contain all the details along with pictures.
So, if a buyer fails to be present on the inspection day, they need not worry. The inspection report will have all the details they need to know before they finally close the deal.
Home inspectors will also describe and classify all the issues in the report. This can help buyers understand the severity of those issues. For instance, this includes their recommendation after describing each issue in detail.
Occasionally, a home inspector will recommend the buyer to hold another inspection. After carefully reviewing the inspection report, the buyer can decide what they would request the seller to repair.
If no issues are found, the buyer may finalize the deal.
How Can A Seller Address The Problems Found In The Inspection?
The seller can address all the issues in the following ways:
- They may decide to carry out the repairs on their own,
- They can hire a contractor to carry out the repairs,
- They can choose to give some credit to the buyer, with which they can cover future repair costs,
- The seller can choose not to carry out any repair at all.
Home inspections can take some time, making the entire buying experience lengthy. However, house inspections allow homebuyers to buy a safe and habitable house and prevent their money from going to waste.