5 Reasons You Need A Pest Inspection When Buying A Property
Advantages Of Getting A Pre-Purchase Building Inspection
Buying a new property is fun and thrilling. However, pests can soon turn your house into a nightmare. This is why we insist that you inspect a new property before you sign the contract.
According to Adam Love from Pro Pest Control Sydney, a realtor may not tell you all you need to know about a property and its structural integrity. He further said that most homeowners are usually more interested in the electrical, roofing, and plumbing issues and neglect wood-destroying organism inspection. When buying a new property, insist on a pest inspection for the following reasons.
1. Determine Structural Integrity
Houses that are not properly built will fall apart. When you inspect a new property, you can discover if there is a likelihood of a collapse. A home inspection reveals underlying issues that are not visible to buyers or even the sellers. During the inspection, you will have the opportunity to walk through the home with the inspector. As you familiarize yourself with the structure, you can ask questions about anything you don’t understand or stand out as odd.
2. Uncover Hidden Problems
Home inspections reveal underlying problems that are not visible at first glance. For example, the inspection will reveal if the house is free of cracks in the walls, asbestos, mildew, mold, etc. When you know the safety issues, you can decide on active measures to keep your family safe.
After revealing an underlying condition, a home inspector may recommend an additional inspection for a closer look. If the inspector identifies any threat, you need to determine the extent of necessary repairs. For example, say tree branches near the roof can speed up wood root and wear out the shingles. Information like this provides a time frame for repairs to avoid problems in the future.
3. Improves Negotiation Power And Qualify For Insurance Discounts
If the inspection reveals an underlying pest control, it gives you an upper hand in the negotiation. A pest control inspection will assess the value of your property to match the cost with the price the realtor is offering. Then, you can use the inspection reports for negotiation.
If there are pests, the house will most likely be worth less than the seller is asking. In this case, you can negotiate with the seller to reduce the price in turn for what you will spend on repair and pest control. If not a reduction, your seller will concede to offset the potential cost or return part of the purchase money. You can then complete the repair after closing the deal.
Alternatively, you can ask the seller to fumigate or repair the property before you seal the deal. An inspection like this gives you the negotiation power for a fair price.
If you live in a hurricane-prone area, you can include 4-point inspection and wind mitigation in the inspections. If you hand these to the insurance agent, you can reduce premiums on insurance. Do note, though, that this varies from one state to another.
4. Health Concerns
Household pests are responsible for various illness and concerns all over the world. This includes simple sicknesses to more chronic allergies and asthma. For example, cockroaches are the main culprit of asthma in children. To prevent such occurrences and guarantee your health and your family’s safety, inspect the property before moving into the house.
Although small, pests can significantly affect the quality of your life. In the end, it is better to know your family is safe from the effects of pests. Apart from this, it also protects your property from potential invasion.
5. Financial Security
One main reason why some homeowners avoid an inspection entirely is to avoid the cost. Or put in their words, “save cost.” However, history has always proven that ignoring a problem can lead to paying more than you should have paid if detected and sorted earlier. In this case, inspecting a property for pests before buying it costs less than extermination after purchase.
Apart from the costs, you have to deal with the structural damage to your building and health concerns if any. A pre-purchase inspection puts your mind at rest that an infestation won’t set you back financially. When you catch the pests early, your budget won’t take the hit.
Conclusion
If you are among the homeowners that wonder if a pre-purchase home inspection is worth paying for, the answer is yes. There are various reasons why you should inspect your home before buying, starting with the ones we have highlighted above. A pest inspection is an investment into a home purchase that will ultimately yield its return for any homeowner.
If you inspect a home before signing the contract, you can avoid potentially expensive problems and save money in the long run. If not for you, do it for your family and financial life.