Are you getting ready to buy a house in the Charlotte metro area? If so, here are some considerations and suggestions to help guide you through the Charlotte, NC home inspection process.
After searching through hundreds of MLS listings, attending several open houses, and working with a realtor for weeks or months, you have finally made an offer on a new home. It appears to meet all of your requirements: three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, and a porch on which you can catch the morning sun. What could possibly go wrong?
Actually, there could be quite a few—or even several—potential issues with your new house that may not be apparent to the untrained eye. So, once your offer has been accepted by the seller, it is time to see if your dream home has any gremlins hiding in the structure.
Why You Should Hire a Structural Engineer when Purchasing a New House
Although Charlotte, NC home inspections are not required by law, hiring a licensed structural engineer to examine the property on which you have an offer can give you peace of mind—knowing that they have made a sound real estate investment that should not have any major structural issues for years to come.
On the other hand, if a structural engineer does uncover issues with your potential new house’s foundation, roof, walls or other interior or exterior elements, you may be spared spending five, six, or seven figures on a house that may possibly require tens of thousands of dollars in repairs shortly after you purchase it.
Locating Companies that Perform Charlotte, NC Home Inspections
Once you decide upon having your potential new home examined by a licensed structural engineer, you may be wondering how to locate a company that performs Charlotte, NC home inspections. It may seem like a daunting task for a buyer, but there are a few options available that can help you find the right, reputable home inspector for the job.
The first—and oftentimes best—way to find a company that carries out Charlotte, NC home inspections is to ask your realtor. Your realtor will more than likely be able to recommend a particular engineering company that has successfully worked with his or her clients over the years.
Another way to find a firm that performs Charlotte, NC home inspections is to use websites like Google and Yelp to search for reputable businesses with certified home inspectors. These websites provide you with a wide selection of engineering companies, and even showcase reviews and star ratings for each business to help you determine whether or not a particular home inspection company is up to the task.
However, if your newly licensed realtor does not have previous experience with Charlotte, North Carolina engineering companies, and you do not feel comfortable with the results that you are finding on the internet, you can always ask your network for recommendations. Do you have friends, family members, or coworkers that have recently bought a house? If so, ask them about their experiences with structural engineers that they hired, and see if they suggest using a particular company.
The Structural Inspection Process at a Glance
After you hire a structural engineer, you need to specify which areas of the house you would like to have inspected. Charlotte, NC home inspections can focus on certain parts of the house like the foundation, framing or any combination of home components. However, for the best results that can save you time, money, and headaches in the long run, you should consider having your structural engineer examine all structural aspects of your potential home.
Once you and a particular structural engineer decide upon how thoroughly to survey your property, the next step is to schedule a date and time for the examination. You, the buyer, should be present during the home inspection in order to receive repair and maintenance recommendations from the structural engineer whom you have hired.
Then, after your house has been properly inspected for structural and mechanic issues, you should be in contact with your hired engineering company to make sure that they send inspection reports to both you and your realtor. Upon receiving the inspection reports, you should sit down with your realtor to discuss the findings.
When a Structural Engineer Uncovers Issues with the Property
Sometimes, Charlotte, NC home inspections are uncomplicated with little-to-no major findings that could impact the sale of a home. However, more often than not, there are a few structural or other aesthetic problems that structural engineers notice during their surveys.
So, what happens when your hired structural engineering company tells you that the home on which you have placed an offer has a cracked foundation, leaks in the roof, or knob-and-tube wiring that is not up to code? There are a few options from which you can choose after discovering that the property on which you have an offer does not perfectly pass inspection.
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Option 1: You can negotiate a lower purchase price with the seller.
Oftentimes, when there are smaller structural or aesthetic issues that are uncovered during Charlotte, NC home inspections, buyers and realtors can negotiate with sellers to lower home purchase prices. By lowering a property’s purchase price, the buyer gains funds to make the necessary repairs to the house, and the seller is relieved of responsibility for these repairs.
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Option 2: You can make the sale contingent upon the seller making necessary repairs to the property.
Another way to handle a situation in which your desired house has structural or aesthetic issues that are fixable is to negotiate the repairs with the seller. You can ask the seller if he or she would be willing to correct the issues discovered during the inspection in return for you, the buyer, paying the original purchase price for the house.
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Option 3: You can decide pay the full purchase price if the seller will not negotiate, and make the home repairs yourself.
Maybe you have found your dream home, but it needs new shingles on the roof, or it has a medium-priority framing issue. If this is the case, and the seller will not come down on the purchase price, you can choose to spend more money in order to get the house on which your heart is set.
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Option 4: You can choose to keep looking for other properties that pass Charlotte, North Carolina structural inspections.
If the home on which you have placed an offer has major structural issues like a bad roof or a cracked foundation that will cost you tens of thousands of dollars, you can choose to withdraw your offer on the property. You may lose your deposit, but it beats being saddled with extensive home repairs.
Charlotte, NC Home Inspections are in the Buyers’ Best Interests
Making an offer on a home—and of course, having it accepted—is an exciting occasion. If you want to ensure that your future home is safe and stable for years to come, you should consider having a licensed structural engineer complete a structural inspection on your property. Structural Innovations offers high quality, thorough structural surveys to our customers, so give us a call today at (704)-837-0337 to set up your Charlotte, NC home inspection.
