When a residential property is sold, the buyer may want to know whether he has got worth for his money or not. The buyer may thus want to inspect the house that he or she has bought. Home inspection by a certified professional is a key aspect of house selling process.

The purpose of getting a home inspected is to find out whether there are any faults and defects that need to be repaired. Home inspection helps a seller to know about these faults and enables him or her to take remedial measures before the property can be listed. A home in a good condition generally has an enhanced value and also fetches a good price.

As per the rules of the real estate contract, a prospective buyer has the right to get the house inspected by a qualified inspector before buying the deal is finalized. However, if the house is got inspected by the buyer and if the buyer gets to know about faults if any, the seller may not get a good price or the price that he has asked for. It is therefore desirable that the seller gets the home inspected before the house is put up for sale.

A home inspector who is an expert and has experience will generally inspect all the fundamental aspects in the home like:

• The exterior structural components.

• Interiors

• Electrical connections

• Heating and cooling systems

• Roofs and ceilings

• Flooring

• Basements

• Doors and window panes

• Bathrooms

• Water supply connections

• Kitchens

• septic tanks

Once the inspection is complete, all the problems with the house are recorded in a datasheet known as the home inspection report that makes the seller aware of the defects in his property. The seller can get the necessary repair done or the problems rectified depending on the suggestions made by the inspector in the inspection report. A home inspection report is therefore an important tool that helps in the sale of a house.

There may be times when the seller will not be able to get the repairs done because his condition might not allow doing so. In such a case all the defects that have been mentioned in the home inspection report need not be disclosed to the buyers. A seller can consult his or her attorney and find out the extent of information that needs to be disclosed to the potential buyer. This decision can be made after taking into consideration the local disclosure laws as set by the administration.