Is a Home Inspection Necessary?

Buying or selling a property can be incredibly stressful! A home inspection can help ease that stress by giving you peace of mind and allowing you to maximize your deal.

As a seller it allows you to price accordingly and fairly, fix anything that may help add value to your sale, and get out front of things that may give a potential buyer pause.

As a buyer, a home inspection is the BEST way to protect your investment as well as the health and safety of you and your family. Health and safety issues can go unseen in a home and home repair can be costly. However if you are aware of potential issues, you can make educated decisions about mitigating those risks to both your safety and your pocket book.

Why is it important to hire and ASHI Inspector?

In the state of Colorado there is no licensing process for home inspectors! This means that ANYONE could call themselves a home inspector and give unqualified information to you.

When you hire an ASHI (American Society of Home Inspectors) Inspector/Member you are guaranteeing that the person who inspects your home has studied extensively on home inspection and has passed the National Home Inspector Exam. An ASHI inspector also conducts their inspection by the ASHI Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics which ensures that they are thorough, standardized, and acting within their scope of training with your best interest in mind.

What is included in a Home Inspection Report?

Willis Home Inspections operates under the ASHI standards of practice which ensures a full house home inspection and yields an easy to understand digital inspection report.

The inspector will look at the exterior, interior, landscape grading, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing, foundation, and structural components of your house. The report will detail any issues and classify them as major or minor and give you an idea of who to talk to get a qualified opinion on how to fix them.

Should I get a Radon Test?

EVERY home has some level of radon gas present in it!

Willis Home Inspections and the EPAs Home Buyers and Sellers Guide to Radon recommends all houses get a radon test as part of a real estate transaction and that ALL houses get tested regularly.

Radon is a radioactive gas that naturally exists in the soil under a home, it permeates into the structure and gets trapped inside and breathed in. It is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the US and is responsible for more deaths each year than drunk driving. Depending on the concentration of radon in the soil under your house and the way your home was built it can pose a serious health risk!

A radon test identifies if the amount of radon in your home rises to dangerous levels and allows you to make educated decisions on mitigation to keep your home safe.

Should I get a Water Test?

Willis Home Inspections recommends all houses that have a private water source such as a well opt in to water testing during the inspection. We offer Bacteriological Analysis water testing that specifically tests for bacteria in your water. All wells need yearly maintenance and regular testing to ensure that contamination of drinking water has not occured.

For houses that have a city water source testing for bacteria is usually unnecessary as the municipality tests the water. If you are unsure of your water source we can help you identify that and make recommendations accordingly.

Every home inspection by Willis Home Inspections will also inspect for any lead piping (or other potentially hazardous supply piping or installations) that can lead to contaminated water as part of the plumbing inspection at no additional charge.