4 Things Home Inspectors Are Looking For

January 12, 2019

The 4 Things Home Inspectors are looking for that Could Kill the Sale of Your Stockton House

If you are thinking about selling your House in Stockton there is a 98% chance that at some point it will be inspected by at least 2 home inspectors and 1 appraiser. This article will explain the 4 things that Home Inspectors are looking for in your house. It will also explain the level of experience and qualifications that home inspectors are required to have before they can make an assessment of any house. Don’t be surprised… It isn’t very much.

Home inspectors are not required to be licensed in the State of California. In fact, most are not licensed contractors but, according to the California Real Estate Inspection Association “inspectors must have a minimum of 80 hours in inspector education. They may complete these hours through training in the classroom, online and in the field. A thorough training program includes how to identify and report defects in a home’s interior and exterior. Components the inspector must learn include the home’s structure, foundation, roofing, insulation, heating, cooling, ventilation, air conditioning, electrical and plumbing”.

For someone that is potentially so influential in most real estate sales transaction it stands to reason that they should be required to receive more extensive training, but they are not. In fact it is not a requirement that home inspectors have worked in any of the trades for any period of time.

Most real estate agents recommend that Sellers pay to have their homes inspected in advance of listing the house to find out what problems are most likely lurking before they accept an offer and eliminate the element of surprise. The logic seems sound, but sometimes the reports themselves are flawed and that could be why home inspections and appraisals are the number one and two reasons that real estate transactions fall apart in today’s Stockton Real Estate Market.

It’s no secret that statistically more than 30% of all houses fail the inspection phase of the sales process and either the buyer backs out or the seller refuses to make the necessary repairs found within the inspection reports.

It’s really no mystery because many buyers will use the inspection report as a tool to negotiate a price reduction. Can you blame them? Speaking as someone that has been through several hundred home inspections on properties that I have both bought sold, I can tell you first hand the process is contentious at best.

Not All Houses Are Created Equal:

So what is it that home inspectors are looking for that could cause your house to become another negative statistic in the selling process? Is there a checklist of things that are predictable to use as a guideline and preempt a negative report?

Real and Perceived Safety Issues:

Smoke Detectors and Carbon Monoxide Detectors located as required out by code in each of the bedrooms and common areas.

GFI located in the Kitchen, Laundry room, bathrooms and outdoor areas.

Grounded Electrical Outlets throughout the house, even in older homes

Safety Glass for windows and sliding glass doors

Uniformity in the size of steps leading to and from the house.

Window sizes that allow for exiting the house in the case of a fire.

Firewalls in attics between the garage and living area in connected structures.

The Perimeter of the House (its Shell)

The grading of the ground and drainage. Is everything moving away from the house?

The foundation. Is there a foundation or footings? Are they intact or cracked? What do the piers look like if there are any?

The condition of the Wood or stucco Siding. Are there cracks or is there dry rot?

Are the windows sealed with silicone? Is the house waterproof?

Is there dry rot surrounding the windows especially in the sill?

The Roof: What is its age and condition? Is there venting and Flashing. It is sealed?

Is there dry rot in the eves, the roof tails or the facia?

House Systems;

The Heating and Air conditioning. What is the age and the type? What are the ducting materials?

Are there leaks in the ducting?

Are the units properly fused and wired?

The Plumbing;

What is its age and condition? Is there cast iron pipes? Are there any leaks that pose a problem for standing water, excessive moisture or dry rot and termites in the substructure and flooring of the house?

The Electrical; How old is the panel. Are there fuses or breakers? What type of wiring? Is it grounded? Are there exposed Wires and junctions that are not properly installed in junction boxes and covered? Are there visible splices that are not properly connected?

The Venting:

Can the house breathe? Are there sufficient foundation vents, roof vents, and vents in the eves. Are they obstructed, are the screens intact to keep small and large animals out?

Unfortunately, older homes have many flaws according to the home inspection handbook and it’s not because of the age or construction methods used at the time of construction. It is because most home inspectors don’t understand building techniques applied in older homes and in many instances they will cite a defect in a home based on 2016 building standards that are not a defect at all.

If the thought of selling your home keeps you up at night because of the fear of home inspections or repairs frighten you then you need to consider an alternative to listing your house with a real estate agent.

If you need to sell your house fast in Stockton but don’t want to hassle with home inspections, buyer contingencies, bank requirements and costly repairs, then consider selling your house to a Cash home buyer like me that will not require or ask or any inspections at all..

My name is Peter Westbrook and I am a local real estate investor in Stockton, CA. We buy houses in Stockton CA in any condition and we pay cash. Call me at 209-481-7780 or visit my website at https://www.westbrookrei.com/we-buy-houses-stockton and I will give you a no obligation all cash offer.

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My name is Peter Westbrook and I am a local real estate investor and the owner of We Buy Houses Sacramento and Westbrook Real Estate Investments. I am NOT a Real Estate Agent or Broker and for good reason. I purchase real estate and I am NOT going to ask you to pay a commission or a fee.…I pay CASH and because I do, I can close on the day that I tell you.

For those of you that already know me or have already called me you can attest that I answer my own phone and I return all phone calls. When you call me at 209-481-7780 you are calling me on the same number that my mother and my closest friends call me at.

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Hear What Others Have To Say…

The City of Stockton was getting ready to tear down my old house. I was no longer able to maintain the Stockton House and after years of trying to keep up with code violations, needed repairs and vandalism, I finally called Peter

Westbrook. He came right out and told me what he could do. He contacted the city and county and even cleaned up the property before he bought it. He paid the back taxes for me and gave me an advance on the purchase of the house. Without his help I would have lost everything. I called real estate agents and other investors but no one wanted to help and no one offered to pay as much as Peter Westbrook. He completely remodeled the house and I smile every time I go by. Thank you Peter.

Leonard S

We inherited our parents house with one of our brothers living there . The property taxes had not been paid and it was in Tax default. We called Peter Westbrook and he found that the title was still in our parents name, so the Stockton House never went through probate. Peter also found that there was an old auto loan that had a lien on the

title and an old bankruptcy ruling to take care of that lien had never been filed with the courts. Peter handled everything including paying the back taxes, paying for the hiring a Probate Attorney and filing the probate and paying for and hiring a Bankruptcy Attorney to finalize the removal of the lien. He was patient, understanding and he took care of everything including evicting the tenants that were living in the house. We talked to real estate agents and other I buy house people. None of them had the answers for our situation. Without peter we would have lost everything. We got paid cash.

Steve H

We inherited my parents Stockton house with a mortgage. We decided to rent it out. The tenants destroyed the house. I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t have the money to fix it and the city had already issued code violations.. I called an “I Buy Houses Stockton Sign” on a telephone pole and Peter Westbrook answered. In 4 days he paid the bank and bought my house. We would have lost everything if it weren’t for Peter Westbrook.

Mike B

I inherited my mothers house with a mortgage. When my husband and I lost our jobs, we got behind in payments. Then the Bank posted a default with a auction date we didn’t know what to do.

We didn’t have the $15,000.00 and we only had two weeks to do something. We called Peter Westbrook and form the beginning he was confident he could stop the bank. Within 4 days he bought the house with cash, paid off the bank and stopped the Foreclosure. Without Peter we would have lost everything.

Brenda T

I saw a sign on a telephone pole and against my better judgement I called. The last thing I expected was a person answering the phone. I was surprised, Peter Westbrook answered the phone. I had a lot of questions and Peter had the right answers. My mother needed to get as much as possible out of the house and we had talked to several real estate agents and they all wanted to sell it cheap and wanted a 6% commission. They all told us unless we put thousands of dollars into it could not be sold for what we wanted. Not Peter. He made a fair cash offer and since then we have sold him another house. Peter and the title company handled everything. I couldn’t be happier and I would recommend Peter Westbrook to anyone.

Cathy W

I needed to sell my Stockton House. I called a phone number I saw on a sign and talked to Peter Westbrook. The City of Stockton said that they were going to take away my vacant Stockton house, knock it down and send me the

bill to do it. I did everything that I could to try to make them happy. A neighbor offered to buy the house and then Peter offered me twice as much. He did everything he said he would do and I just had to go to the Title Company and sign the papers. He did all of the work and now the City of Stockton is his problem. Thank you Peter.

Ann C

I inherited my Fathers Stockton house. The front porch was falling in, the walls had holes from being vacant and vandalized. The City of Stockton fined us, red tagged the property and forced us to put on a new roof so we had to get loans and we still couldn’t rent it out.

I called one of those “I Buy Houses” signs and Peter Westbrook came out and made a cash offer. The House closed escrow and we got our money for a house we though was worthless. Thanks Peter!”

Broderick R.

“Our Grandfather passed away and my brother, sister and I inherited his Stockton house. He was a junkman and hoarder. He was also 90 years old and had not made a repair to the house in years. He had garage sales almost every day. The house and the yard were full of junk. We tried to get everything out so we could just see the house. We had family and friends come over on the weekends but the cost and effort was consuming all of our time.The house was a mess.

I called Peter Westbrook and he made us a cash offer for the house and he said he would take care of all of the clean up. Thank God I called. The City had issued code violations and fines on the property and even before we closed escrow Peter and his crew had the house and yard cleaned (4 large Dumpsters later) . I recommend Peter Westbrook to anyone that has a problem house. They were fast and professional”

Connie J.

“I had tried to sell my Mothers Stockton house for two years. Realtor’s told me to tear it down. I didn’t have the money for that and my Brother and his family were living there. Peter Westbrook made me a cash offer and closed escrow with my brother still in the house. Peter Westbrook is my savior. I don’t have to worry about the house any more. If you have a Stockton house that has become a burden and you don’t have the money to fix it to sell it, call Peter Westbrook.”

Rosemary R.

The 4 Things Home Inspectors are looking for that Could Kill the Sale of Your Stockton House

Not All Houses Are Created Equal:

Real and Perceived Safety Issues:

The Perimeter of the House (its Shell)

House Systems;

The Venting:

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