Massachusetts Home Inspections

Home Buyers Need to Know About the Importance of a Home Inspection

The following video (3:08 minutes), recorded in April of 2010, is about what to expect at your Massachusetts home inspection. Learn about what home inspectors check and don't check at home inspections. Most importantly, don't waive your home inspection. The video transcript follows the video on this page.

The following is the transcript of the video above about what to expect at a Massachusetts home inspection.

David Kres: Hi, my name is David Kres from Buyers Brokers Only, LLC, and I’m here today to talk about home inspections. If you're a home buyer your home inspection is a very important part of the home buying process. It's an opportunity to make sure that you’re getting the home that you pretty much bargained for. If you’re buying an existing home it’s especially important to make sure that there are no serious issues or other issues that you didn't necessarily know about when you negotiated the home. You want to make sure that you have a home inspection and that you're comfortable moving forward.

Now if you’re buying an existing home it's also important to go in there knowing that you're not buying new construction. There are going to be some types of issues that come up, things that you and your realtor didn't necessarily think about, and to take that into account when making the decision to move forward.

A home inspector is going to test the interior, the exterior, and the grounds of the house. Grounds, they’re going to make sure that the water and grading is fine. Interior, they’re going to check the heat and electrical systems, plumbing systems, make sure that the foundation is fine. The exterior they’re going to check the roof, siding, windows, things of the like.

It's important to note that a home inspection doesn't pass or fail. It's not like a home inspector is going to say you can’t buy this house or anything like that. It’s going to be your decision to move forward. The home inspectors aren’t allowed to give a money estimate. It's an opportunity for them to give their professional opinion about the property, the pros and cons, and what might need to be done to improve the property.

New construction, if you're buying new construction I recommend that you do a home inspection in two phases. The first is when the property is framed so that you have an opportunity to really check the structure of the house and the electrical and plumbing and other systems. And then one more after the property is completed. 

Pricing, home inspection in this area should cost in between $350 to $500 for a single-family, a little bit less for a condominium and more if it's a multi-family or larger home [NOTE: The cost of a single-family home inspection, as of winter 2021, typically will cost between $500 and $1,000 for a single-family home].

Now there's some things that a home inspection won't cover. Examples would be a fireplace, a septic system, or water testing if it’s on well water, swimming pool, appliances, sheds. Some home inspectors won’t check for detached garages. Certain types of actors like radon or lead paint typically aren’t covered in the general home inspection. Single unit air conditioners or heating systems if it's in the summertime or AC systems if it’s in the winter time, just because they're not able to test those systems. 

If you have any other questions about home inspections please feel free to give me a call at 978-317-7685 or email me at dkres@davidkres.com. Thanks a lot.