At NJ home purchase mandates home inspection. As a first time or nth time home buyer you will be involved in this process. Though the home inspector does bring the checklist that lists the items to be tested, conditions to be verified etc it would be better if you are well prepared and be proactive with home inspection checklist handy during home inspection process
Make sure you have the following items checked as part of home inspection. The items mentioned here are generic in nature. Depending on the type of home you are planning to purchase this can be customized accordingly
1) Check the door - This includes doors of main entrance, living room doors, restroom doors, kitchen doors, bedroom doors etc. Make sure the doors are in proper shape, swing open without any issues
1.1) Check if there is a gap at the top when you close the door fully. IF there is a gap chances of cold air and hot air seepage is high. This will increase your utility bills in parsippany NJ
1.2) Open and close the door several times and make sure doors don't stick
1.3) Doro open should not impact floor. If the doors dont open and close smoothly this does contribute to scratches in floor or in carpet
1.4) Check and make sure the door is naturally fit and there are no additional items holding it to keep it straight
1.5) See if they create noise when you try to open and close them
1.6) Check if the door locks are properly mounted, accessible, working from inside out. This is a repair item that you may have to fix later if this happens to be front door
1.7) Wooden doors are humid prone and will be stuck during winter owing to expansion. Such doors should be inspected properly particularly in east coast locality like parsippany NJ
Check each and every door. Make note of issues if any
2) Windows Inspection - Windows should be properly fit, working fine, free of issues including ease of open and close, properly fit windows, no cracks in case of glass windows as broken glass is a common and expensive windows repair that typically costs around $200 to $500
What to do if the windows they look proper?
In the ceiling the is closest to windows make sure there are no traces of water, dirt etc. This is an indication of cold water, snow , water seeping through windows pane. A common problem with old homes in NJ area, this is an indication of how the windows has behaved during winter
3) Check the walls - Walls should be clean, free of water traces owing to broken windows leakage, free of holes, should not have much patch work. See the wall surface is even. If you see lots of patches enquire more on why they had to do lot of patch work
4) Test the outlets - Each and every outlet needs to be tested carefully. This can be done easily by using voltage tester.
Where do I find one and how much does this cost?
You find it in amazon, home improvement stores. The price is between $11 to $30. On an average the price is around $18
5) Sturdy or wobbly stairs - If you are going for townhouse or single family home, check the stairs step by step. Check each and every rail. Make sure they are sturdy and not shaky or wobbly
6) Check the lights - This is again part of checking the outlets. Turn on and off each and every light. Make sure there are no broken switches
7) Check the furnace - Have you ever wondered what it is going to be like with your home furnace conking in chilly weather. It is essentially important to have proper inspection of home furnace done by licensed professionals at-least once a year. If you are in process of home inspection look for installation date sticker in the furnace
8) Garbage Disposal leak check - Garbage disposal is an appliance designed to work with shredding food waste. This is installed beneath sinks and is powered by electricity (or) water pressure. During inspection garbage disposal should be checked for water leak to start with. Simple turn this on and run water through it. Simple close the sink with stopper, open the water let the waste fill the sink, remove stopper and see if there are some leaks
9) Check faucet defects - Faucet should be inspected for defects including cross connections, drip, leaks, loose faucet, noisy faucet, hot and cold reversed, obstructed aerator, inoperative shower diverter , inoperative faucet, stiff faucet etc. Check the water pressure when you turn on faucet
10) Dishwasher check - This is part of kitchen appliance check. Note that this can be checked completely only if there is power supply availability. Look for counterbalance spring doors by opening dish washer and making sure the doors dont drop, check
Make sure you have the following items checked as part of home inspection. The items mentioned here are generic in nature. Depending on the type of home you are planning to purchase this can be customized accordingly
1) Check the door - This includes doors of main entrance, living room doors, restroom doors, kitchen doors, bedroom doors etc. Make sure the doors are in proper shape, swing open without any issues
1.1) Check if there is a gap at the top when you close the door fully. IF there is a gap chances of cold air and hot air seepage is high. This will increase your utility bills in parsippany NJ
1.2) Open and close the door several times and make sure doors don't stick
1.3) Doro open should not impact floor. If the doors dont open and close smoothly this does contribute to scratches in floor or in carpet
1.4) Check and make sure the door is naturally fit and there are no additional items holding it to keep it straight
1.5) See if they create noise when you try to open and close them
1.6) Check if the door locks are properly mounted, accessible, working from inside out. This is a repair item that you may have to fix later if this happens to be front door
1.7) Wooden doors are humid prone and will be stuck during winter owing to expansion. Such doors should be inspected properly particularly in east coast locality like parsippany NJ
Check each and every door. Make note of issues if any
2) Windows Inspection - Windows should be properly fit, working fine, free of issues including ease of open and close, properly fit windows, no cracks in case of glass windows as broken glass is a common and expensive windows repair that typically costs around $200 to $500
What to do if the windows they look proper?
In the ceiling the is closest to windows make sure there are no traces of water, dirt etc. This is an indication of cold water, snow , water seeping through windows pane. A common problem with old homes in NJ area, this is an indication of how the windows has behaved during winter
3) Check the walls - Walls should be clean, free of water traces owing to broken windows leakage, free of holes, should not have much patch work. See the wall surface is even. If you see lots of patches enquire more on why they had to do lot of patch work
4) Test the outlets - Each and every outlet needs to be tested carefully. This can be done easily by using voltage tester.
Where do I find one and how much does this cost?
You find it in amazon, home improvement stores. The price is between $11 to $30. On an average the price is around $18
5) Sturdy or wobbly stairs - If you are going for townhouse or single family home, check the stairs step by step. Check each and every rail. Make sure they are sturdy and not shaky or wobbly
6) Check the lights - This is again part of checking the outlets. Turn on and off each and every light. Make sure there are no broken switches
7) Check the furnace - Have you ever wondered what it is going to be like with your home furnace conking in chilly weather. It is essentially important to have proper inspection of home furnace done by licensed professionals at-least once a year. If you are in process of home inspection look for installation date sticker in the furnace
8) Garbage Disposal leak check - Garbage disposal is an appliance designed to work with shredding food waste. This is installed beneath sinks and is powered by electricity (or) water pressure. During inspection garbage disposal should be checked for water leak to start with. Simple turn this on and run water through it. Simple close the sink with stopper, open the water let the waste fill the sink, remove stopper and see if there are some leaks
9) Check faucet defects - Faucet should be inspected for defects including cross connections, drip, leaks, loose faucet, noisy faucet, hot and cold reversed, obstructed aerator, inoperative shower diverter , inoperative faucet, stiff faucet etc. Check the water pressure when you turn on faucet
10) Dishwasher check - This is part of kitchen appliance check. Note that this can be checked completely only if there is power supply availability. Look for counterbalance spring doors by opening dish washer and making sure the doors dont drop, check
