Home Purchase Inspection | Heating and Air Conditioning
A thorough home purchase inspection is a necessity when buying a home. Inspectors can’t provide a thorough inspection on a home without utilities and this creates a unique problem for inspectors. When utilities are not on for inspection, it can lead to undetected problems with heating and air conditioning systems, plumbing and more.
Furthermore, a home inspector is unable to provide a detailed inspection. They simply don’t have the training and education that a plumber, heating and air conditioning technician or a roofer will have, for example.
Take the case of Tiffany M. No utilities were on in the home she purchased. The owners had moved, maintaining their mortgage payments but not utilities.
Tiffany M. did not have any clause added to the sales contract to protect her investment. She simply took the owner’s word for it that everything worked and did not require repair or replacement.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Once she moved into her new home, she had to buy a dishwasher, a new HVAC system, replace the kitchen floor after the leaking dishwasher flooded the kitchen, and have the stair banisters replaced that the home inspector missed being loose and defective. She discovered their unsafe condition when her 6 year old fell from the second story to the floor below, miraculously with only a minor concussion.
A home purchase inspection can save you heartache and money. But for many persons, the home’s most important systems are worth the extra expense to pay for a professional inspection by a contractor licensed in the field. The following are specialties that a typical home inspector will not be qualified to diagnose problems or offer an estimate. Trust your home to the appropriate contractors and specialists:
- Heating and Air Conditioning:Trust your HVAC inspection to a licensed HVAC contractor to avoid potential problems and expense. A compressor can cost as much as $2,000, with a new system costing substantially more. With that in mind the fee for inspection of heating and air conditioning is only a fraction in comparison.
- Plumbing: Trust your plumbing system to a licensed plumbing contractor. Ensure it includes a sewer and septic inspection. Many older homes may not be connected to sewer lines, though the homeowner may pay a monthly sewer bill. If a well is on the property this will fall under the inspection services of a plumber.
- Pest Control: A pest inspection can identify not only termites and other wood destroying pests but dry rot as well.
- Electrical: A general home inspector can identify an outdated electrical supply box, and wiring not up to code at the box. Only an electrician can give you an estimate of the costs of replacement.
- Chimney: Older homes may lack chimney liners, or have deteriorated with unsafe brick. A chimney specialist will ensure the chimney draws smoke properly as well as being safe for use.
- Foundation: Trust the foundation to a foundation expert. A home shifted slightly off its foundation may not be visually detectible to a general home inspector.
- Roof Inspection: A roof inspection will identify the remaining service life of a roof and if it is correctly installed and up to standard or has other problems. If the seller provides you with roof certification on older roofs this may not be necessary.
- Miscellaneous: There are potentially other fields that may need to be inspected depending upon location. For example, if the home in a flood zone, in an area prone to sink holes or radon. If it is an older home, you may want to test it for lead based paint and asbestos. You will want to compare the square footage to tax records. Many homeowners add on to their homes without a permit.
Cypress Heating and Air Conditioning will provide the HVAC inspection you require. If you are buying a home we will be glad to provide a thorough professional inspection. If you need annual or bi-annual maintenance, we will inspect, service, tune-up and make any needed repairs to your heating and air conditioning system. A member of the BBB since 1984, maintaining an A+ rating, you can count on Cypress’s dedicated professionals for superior service.