A home inspection is a visual, non-invasive inspection for home safety defects and defects in the home systems and their major, readily-accessible components.
Home inspectors are trained to identify potentially costly or dangerous home defects while time still exists to negotiate with the seller for the cost of repairs or corrections.
A home inspection by an InterNACHI South Africa member:
- Is performed to a Standards of Practice
- Is performed by an inspector who adheres to a code of ethics
- Is performed by a neutral third party
- Produces a written report
- Typically takes 2-3 hours for a mid-size home
What is included in a home inspection?
The South African Residential Standards of Practice act as minimum guidelines in describing what must be inspected, and what an inspector is not required to inspect. Many InterNACHI members exceed the guidelines. Ask your InterNACHI inspector for more information about what they offer. Inspections typically include the following basics:
- Exterior, including the walkways, wall-covering materials, exterior trim, window and doors exteriors, and exterior lighting.
- Roof, including the roof-covering material, flashing, and the roof drainage system.
- Interior, including the floors, walls, ceilings, bathroom components, kitchen components, door and window interiors, and interior lighting fixtures.
- Structure, including all visible components of the basic home structure.
- Home cooling systems
- Water distribution systems
Why use an InterNACHI South Africa inspector?
- InterNACHI members are highly qualified. Those who apply for membership to InterNACHI must first pass an entry exam. 60% of the 123,359 people who have taken the exam since September, 2006 have failed. Once they are accepted, all InterNACHI members must complete 24 hours of continuing education each year. (link takes approx. 60 seconds to load).
- InterNACHI inspectors have access to specialized training. We offer more online training than any other inspection organization in the world. These written and video courses are available to InterNACHI members only.
- Our members are neutral third parties. They have no financial interest in the transaction, so their inspections are not influenced by whether or not the home sells. An InterNACHI inspector’s job is to represent the financial interests of their client.
- InterNACHI members specialize in protecting home buyers. A bank representative will only confirm the loan to value. Estate agents are trained to sell homes, not how to find defects that might threaten the transaction. Engineers are trained to perform engineering calculations, and contractors are trained to build homes. Neither engineers or contractors are trained to understand how home systems and components age and fail.
- Our member are trained to understand how home systems age and fail.It is important for inspectors to know where to look and what to look for.
- InterNACHI members follow a Standards of Practice. These minimum guidelines help ensure that a client knows what to inspect and is protected.
- InterNACHI members adhere to a code of ethics. This code is strictly enforced and members who violate it lose their membership permanently.
Why have a home inspected?
Having a home inspected before you buy will save you money. Even though disclosure laws require home sellers to disclose defective conditions, a seller cannot disclose problems that they don’t know exist. There are no perfect homes and serious problems are not always obvious, so it is important for buyers to understand the actual condition of a home before they buy. Having a home inspected allows the buyer to negotiate with the seller for a price reduction or to have defects corrected by the seller.
How much does a home inspection cost?
InterNACHI members are in business for themselves and are free to establish their own prices. Almost all inspections result in the client saving more then the cost of the inspection. Home inspection is an area in which shopping by price is a big mistake. Inexperienced, poorly-qualified inspectors get work by lowering prices. Hiring a cheap home inspector can actually cost home buyers a lot of money because these inspectors will miss defective conditions that the buyer will have to pay to correct.
How long is an inspection report?
The length of inspection reports will vary with the size and condition of the home inspected. Larger homes with many defects will result in longer reports. Report length is also affected by the type of reporting system used by individual inspectors. InterNACHI members are free to choose any reporting system they want. Most reports are computer-generated.
Who needs a home inspected?
- Buyers should always have a home inspected while there is still time to negotiate.
- Sellers and their estate agents can use an inspection report as a sales tool.
- Investors should understand the actual condition of the property before they invest.