What You Should Know About
Home Inspection vs Appraisal
So….do you need both? Aren’t they the same thing?
The answer is no, they aren’t the same thing.
An appraisal is the official report showing the value of a property made by a qualified professional…and required by your lending institution.
The appraiser is looking out for the lender only – checking to make sure the purchase price is at market value and, depending on the loan, checking for certain safety and property condition issues to protect the lender from liability. Each loan type has different criteria. FHA and VA loans have stricter standards than your conventional bank loan.
Things to watch out for are:
- Broken windows
- Peeling exterior paint
- Missing railings on decks and stairways
- Obvious structural deficiencies
As long as these criteria are met, they ain’t gonna care if it looks like the water heater is on its last legs and you will have to replace it in the next 6 months. That becomes your issue once you purchase the home.
A home inspection on the other hand, is your chance to have a professional inspector evaluate the condition of the home and future maintenance of the property. Your inspector will point out the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Once the inspection is completed and you’ve received the report, you have a couple of options. You can accept the home as is, you can walk away from the home purchase if major issues were discovered and the seller won’t resolve, or you can negotiate with the seller to have certain repairs completed before the sale. A home inspection is not a requirement, but we RECOMMEND all buyers have one done.
We can recommend home inspectors for you as well.
We are here to make sure you are
happy with your purchase.
Rapid City Homes – BruHa!