Housepoint Inspections
We Work for You.We Tell You the Truth.
What Is a Home Inspection?
A home inspection gives you a good general picture of the condition of the house.
A home inspection is a non-biased, visual inspection of the structure and systems of a house. The goal of a home inspection is to identify the issues with a house that could have a significant cost of repair. A good home inspector is licensed by the state, and will work for you, the client, in accurately determining the condition of the property. He doesn't work for the realtor or any repair companies, but has only your best interest in mind.
A home inspection also helps to pinpoint potential safety hazards with a new home so that repairs can be made before someone is hurt.
In general, a home inspector will be your eyes and ears during the hectic time of buying or selling a property to help you get an honest, objective assessment of the condition of the property.
A home inspection is a general inspection. We don't spend hours on each potential problem, because then we would take weeks rather than hours to inspect. We try to give you a good overall picture of the property and point you to specialists when repairs may be needed.
Why Get a Home Inspection?
If you are buying a house, it is important to know what you're buying. Are you paying $200,000 for a house that is going to need thousands of dollars worth of structural repairs? Or is the house only in need of cosmetic work? It is important to have all the facts going into a real estate transaction and a home inspection gets you those facts in an objective way.
If a large issue is uncovered on an inspection, you may be able to negotiate a lower sale price or ask the seller to make the repairs before closing. The home inspection fee can easily pay for itself many times over if an issue or issues are uncovered.
A home inspection will also point out small deficiencies that could have large implications down the road. For example, improperly installed siding may look fine, but could be channeling water into the structure of the house and allowing the wood behind it to rot out. A small repair, that could cost $10.00 now, could save you thousands in the future.
A home inspection also gives you more time in the house before you buy it. An average inspection will take 2 – 2 ½ hours to complete. You will have that whole time alongside a trained inspector to ask questions, have issues pointed out, and make a thorough assessment of your property.
If you are selling a property, a home inspection can point you to items that the buyer's inspector will tell him to have repaired. Having those items repaired ahead of time will help you negotiate a higher selling price.
A home inspection will also help you know what repairs will need to be made over coming years, and will inform you of how to best maintain your new home. The education you get in an inspection is well worth the fee.
How Long Does a Home Inspection Take?
An average inspection will take 2 ½ hours. This is an average and can vary depending on the size and age of the house.
When Do I Get My Report?
You will receive a report in your email within 24 hours. (If you prefer a hard copy, we will get it in the mail to you within 24 hours.) If you are getting a radon inspection, you will receive the radon report separately in about 14 days.
What is in My Report?
Your report is a top-quality, full color presentation. (Most reports are about 25 pages in length). It contains information on every item we check, as well as full color photos that point out any issues we encountered on your inspection. Your report is done on a computer so it is easy to read and email to repair-people. It comes loaded with notes in photos. To generate this report, we check over 500 items in the average home.
Can the House Fail the Inspection?
No. A home inspection is not a pass/fail inspection. It is not an appraisal or a code inspection, but will describe the conditions at the time.
Should I Be There For The Inspection?
Though it is not required for you to be there, it is strongly recommended. The education you gain by walking with the inspector will greatly enhance your knowledge of the home. The opportunity to ask questions is also valuable.
Should I Get a Radon Inspection?
Radon is a cancer-causing, unscented gas that seeps into some homes. If your house has a radon problem, it can be the equivalent of filling it with second-hand smoke. A simple repair can mitigate the radon problem for less than $2000., which is a small price to pay for the health of your family.
Why Choose Housepoint?
There are many inspectors in the Rochester area that can do a good job on a home inspection. We believe Housepoint is a good choice because we are:
NY State Licensed and Insured – New York requires that inspectors be thoroughly trained and receive on-inspection training before being licensed. It is also required that NYS inspectors maintain general liability insurance, which we do. Kevin has earned and maintains this NY license.
Thorough - We will take the time necessary to give you a thorough picture of the property's condition. Other inspectors can finish more quickly, in as little as 30 minutes, but we will take the time necessary to make sure your report is accurate and your understanding is complete.
Local – Kevin Maloney was born and raised in Western New York. Because we are a local, independent company and not a franchise, every dollar you spend stays in WNY.
Unbiased – We work for you. We won't try to please the Realtor, we won't twist the facts to retain referral business. We will tell you the truth as we see it.
Quality - our reports are full-color, computer-generated reports that contain detailed comments and digital photos. We will email you your report within 24 hours of the inspection. We prefer to email the report or put it on CD ROM to stay paperless, but will print out a full-color copy if you'd prefer.
Educational – Housepoint Inspections are designed to go above the minimum by providing you with a complete education in regards to your home. Inspectors are generalists, so we may not have specific answers to all of your questions that go beyond the scope of an inspection, but if we don't know the answer we'll get an answer to you quickly. As we progress through a house, we will try to educate you in layman's terms to best serve you, not impress you with technical jargon.
Highest Ethical Standards – We are inspectors, and only inspectors. We will not offer other repair services (We won't tell you the roof needs repairs and then tell you to hire us to fix the roof!) If we recommend a contractor to you, it is because we believe in the work they do, not because we have something to gain from them financially.
Affordable – There may be inspectors in town that can beat our prices, but we believe that the price we charge is fair and that you will get your money's worth. We have no hidden fees, you will pay the price of an inspection, plus the cost of the radon inspection if you choose to have one. The price we agree upon ahead of time will be the price you pay, even if there are surprises in the house that will add time or work to the inspection.
Friendly – You will be on a first-name basis with Kevin, the inspector, and will be allowed to call him back at any time with questions.
Trained - Kevin Maloney as been thoroughly trained as a home inspector by the New York School of Home Inspection and Construction. He completed 100 hours of classroom training, in addition to on-the-job-training. He also does 12 hours of continuing education annually. You can see a full list of credentials here.
