Buying a property is a huge investment. You want to know as much about that property as possible, which is why you get an inspection.
And let me add, every property has something wrong with it.
I tell my buyers to expect $2000-$3000 of little things. Most of them, you can have a handyman do in a day or so.
But, if you start hitting larger numbers, usually around $1000 or more per item, that’s when you might want to have a talk with the listing (seller) side.
Since this is such a large purchase, you want a thorough job and you want someone who knows what they are doing. This is NOT something you go with the cheapest on.
Recently I had two inspections that left me with my mouth open. One, was my buyer, but his mortgage lender insisted the he use his inspector. (As a buyer, you are welcome to use whoever you want. As a REALTOR®, I can only offer a vendor suggestion.)
The inspector was in and out in about 30-40 minutes for a 3 bedroom, 2 bath townhouse inspection.
I had a listing where the buyer’s inspector had three people, inspect a 4 bedroom, 2 bath pool home with 2 car garage, in 40 minutes.
A condo inspection should take 1-1.5 hours and a house inspection should take 2-2.5 hours.
The best home inspector I have come across in South Florida is Brendan Haggerty with Pillar to Post. They offer multiple inspection packages, including air quality testing, mold testing, radon testing, lead based paint and so on… They even print the report for you on site. This is extremely important, when you are dealing with tight inspection deadlines.
So if you are purchasing a home, make sure you get a thorough inspection to protect your investment.