Property Inspection Tips from San Diego Real Estate Professionals

Anyone who buys real estate in California needs to understand the property inspection process. Even if you've purchased a home in the past, you should research the inspection issues commonly found in the city or neighborhood where your new home is located. For example, conditions that are common in downtown San Diego condominiums and multiple-unit properties will differ from those common to La Jolla, Del Mar, or Carmel Valley houses and town homes. Read the tips below and visit your San Diego real estate professionals at www.sdrealtypros.com for additional information.

Timing is an important part of the real estate inspection process. In California, the buyer's typical inspection period is 17 days. During this time the buyer should hire a professional inspector to conduct a general home inspection. It is a big mistake to wait until Day 16 to start calling property inspectors for assistance. It is advisable to interview inspectors during your home search. Then, immediately after opening escrow under a contract to purchase a home or investment property, call the inspector to schedule an appointment.

Sometimes as a result of findings during the general property inspection, the inspector will recommend further investigation by a qualified specialist. Scheduling an inspection with a specialist often requires a week or more. Items that sometimes require follow-up inspections by specialists may involve Heating, Ventilation, and Air Condition (HVAC), roofing, and geological/structural engineering. And although these are not necessarily common problems, these issues can arise unexpectedly. That's why it is so important to scheduling the general home inspection within the first day or two of the inspection period.

You may be surprised to learn that anyone can call themself a "home inspector." So make sure you hire someone with experience and credentials. Professional inspectors who are certified by CREIA (the California Real Estate Inspection Association) are required to abide by a code of ethics and standards of practice. Visit the CREIA.org website to find a member or call us at RE/MAX for a list of members in the San Diego area.

When interviewing inspectors, ask about their field experience: how long they have been in business and how many houses or condominiums they have inspected.
Home inspection is a practice and, as with any discipline, better performance comes with more practice. Some say a minimum of 1,000 property inspections is required to develop full competence as an inspector. Less experienced inspectors may disagree, but after 5000+ inspections even they will understand why this criterion is so critical.

Keep in mind that the inspection is a visual examination of the building from top to bottom. The inspector will not move furniture or open up walls. If an area is inaccessible, the buyer or buyer's agent must ask the seller to make it accessible prior to the inspection.

Some inspectors do only a limited inspections of certain systems including the roof, swimming pool or irrigation systems. You need to ask up front exactly what the inspection covers. We recommend that you ask the inspector to email you a sample report so you can see the detail and format of the report you will be paying for.

Also, keep in mind that the inspector will not be pulling any public records about the property. The home inspector will not be able to tell you whether or not a structure has the proper building permits or whether any aspect of the building violates the Municipal Code. Nor can an inspector give advice about whether a house is a good value at a given price, or whether it is likely to appraise at a different value.

A typical general inspection of a house, condominium, or town home will take 2 to 4 hours from start to finish. Expect to pay between $275 and $500 for the average home inspection in San Diego County. The rates for house, condominium, and investment property inspections is usually a flat fee based upon the size of the home, not upon the amount of time required to inspect the property.

Always ask what type of written report will be provided after the inspection, whether it will include photos of the property, and when the report will be available. Most professional inspectors will email the report to you within 24 - 48 hours after the inspection.

We recommend that the buyer be present at the inspection. The inspector will often give maintenance tips or off-hand remarks about components or features of the property during the inspection, but those valuable comments may not make it into the written inspection report. It will usually take about 2-4 hours for the inspection.

It is the buyer's duty to inspect a property to their own satisfaction during the escrow process. The seller must disclose any known conditions that affect the property value, but many Sellers are remarkably ignorant of the condition of their properties, and others conveniently "forget" about issues of concern. So be diligent. Never waive your right to a home inspection!