Faq's
If you’re trying to sell your home, it can also be helpful to get a home inspection before putting your home on the market. The inspection may reveal problems with your home that you can repair before they dissuade a potential buyer.
Inspection costs vary from company to company. At COHI, our pricing is based on 1. square footage of the home 2. age of the home 3. type of foundation and 4. location (mileage charges may apply if over 40 miles from our home office). We recommend paying a little more for an experienced, certified home inspector instead of hiring the cheapest one. When it comes to home inspections, you definitely get what you pay for. If you are price shopping, compare apples to apples. Ask the other inspection companies if they: 1. are certified 2. carry insurance
In fact, paying a slightly higher inspection fee may save you thousands of dollars in the future. Certified inspectors are trained to find problems that non-certified inspectors won’t uncover. Your home is often one of the largest investments you’ll ever make. Ensure you’ll receive a thorough inspection by choosing Certified Ohio Home Inspection, LLC.
First and foremost, it’s important to remember our priority is to identify major issues – ones that may affect your decision to purchase the home. We are looking for the costly problems or issues and not necessarily minor problems. We may note some of these minor issues in our report as a courtesy to make you aware of them, but they are not the primary focus.
Some problems may also only be evident by living in a home. For example, a shower stall that leaks while in use may not leak when the tap is simply turned on and off. To that same effect, a roof or basement may only leak under certain weather conditions. Other issues might not be evident until carpets are lifted, furniture is moved, etc…
Beyond issues that are only evident under certain conditions, others may not present any clues to their existence at all at the of the inspection. Our inspections are based on the current performance of a home, so we can never assume or predict future problems that may arise.
No one is perfect, so yes, occasionally defects can be overlooked during a home inspection. A contractor might come in and say, “I can’t believe you had this home inspected and they missed _________.” Oversights, though infrequent, can happen for a variety of reasons.
- Conditions during the inspection
Homeowners may not remember that it was snowing, or that the furnace could not be accessed or turned on due to the air conditioner being in use. There is no way for the contractor to know the exact circumstances surrounding the inspection.
- Hindsight is 20/20
While it’s easy to say the basement has a “moisture problem” when there is an inch of water on the floor, it’s rarely possible to predict such an issue will occur.
- Taking a longer, invasive look
Spending an hour under the sink or disassembling a furnace is a great way to unearth certain problems. However, if we did that our home inspections would be very expensive and would take several days. Also, our inspections are based on visual evidence in readily accessible areas, we don’t remove fixtures, carpets, or do other invasive tests that can sometimes reveal hidden problems.
- Generalists vs. Specialists
As home inspectors, it is our job to be generalists of the entire house. A roofing contractor, plumber, or flooring specialist may indeed have more in-depth knowledge given their areas of expertise.