So, you’re buying a new home, an exciting time! You’ve dreamed about this for a while now. The excitement is high and you picture happy times: family gatherings, Christmas morning, and watching the kids grow up.
Along with your excitement, however, comes a bit of anxiety and apprehension. Not only is this a huge financial commitment, but it is also the place you have chosen to shelter and protect you. You are investing in the place where you will grow and nurture your family.
With so much at stake, you agree that a home inspection is the best next step.
The Typical Home Inspection Process
When you don’t know a home inspector and you’re not sure how to choose one, you do the sensible thing and ask the realtor. The realtor gives you the name of an inspector s/he knows and works with often, and it’s an easy choice to hire someone that comes recommended for the job. When you get the report back, you find out which problems most need to be addressed.
In the inspection report, you might find information about rotted window and door trims, a faulty GFCI outlet, stopped up gutters, or a leaky faucet. Then you get the hard news that the HVAC unit has some rust on the coil and the roof shows some wear, both normal, but items that you should budget for in the next 3-5 years. The realtor explains that these things are to be expected from an older home, and you agree that these are not deal breakers, so you sign the contract and move in. Life is wonderful!
Costs that Affect Your Family
A year passes and you look back and realize that your child has been sick a lot lately. You blame it on school or daycare, but you realize that you too have felt sluggish and seem to get more colds than you used to. You put the timeline together, and it seems that the symptoms began shortly after you moved in. You dismiss the idea that it could be the house and hold to the thought that it’s just one of those years.
Another couple of months pass before you go on vacation and realize that you feel better. But once you return home, sick again!
Air Quality Assessments Find the Hidden Dangers
You contact Branch Environmental for an air quality assessment and we discover extensive mold in an area of the crawl space, years of accumulated gunk in the ducts, and mold on the wall behind the dishwasher.
Your home inspection didn’t say anything about these things, so how could this be? Sound familiar? Unfortunately, a home inspection doesn’t cover the steps in an environmental inspection, so this happens all too often.
Before You Sign, Know the Facts
Make sure that you know as much as possible about the home you are buying before you sign the dotted line. Undiscovered environmental issues can result not only in financial costs, but in health costs and a diminished quality of life.
Don’t Skip the Pre-Purchase Environmental Inspection
Which inspection is most valuable? That depends on what you value most, but you don’t really have to choose. Both are necessary to get a clear and accurate picture of the investment you are making.
When you choose Branch Environmental to perform your pre-purchase inspection, you’ll receive a thorough investigation of the entire structure to give you a comprehensive assessment of the current and potential environmental hazards.
The health and well-being of you and your family is worth the investment. Finding out about environmental hazards before the purchase may save you thousands of dollars in remediation charges later. Before you decide, learn more about us. We hope to hear from you!
