How Long Does a Home Inspection Take?
A home inspection is a crucial part of the home selling or buying process. To best plan for eventualities, you need to know how quickly you can get it done. If a sale falls through because you couldn't finish an inspection on time, everyone would be left feeling unsatisfied. So, how long does a home inspection take? While the answer is complex, we will try to cover all aspects that affect it.
Preparation time
When discussing the question of 'how long does a home inspection take?', you need to account for every part of the process. And, naturally, everything starts from the planning process. You will first want to decide on what your desired dates are. Learn a bit more about the process. If you are looking to have a condo inspected, then look up what buyers need to know about condo inspection, for example. Then select a house inspection company you believe would best fit you. And even then, you need to collect all the documentation and papers required for requesting a home inspection. Only then would you be ready to officially kick off the process. And all of this can take up to a week.
Waiting time
The experts from NYC Mini Storage say that many people are forced to extend their storage renting time because they underestimate how long they need to wait for a home inspector to show up. Many people imagine that they can just phone a home inspection company or an inspector themselves and say they want an inspection the day after. Or even that very day. It takes at least several hours for the home inspector to sort the paperwork on their end. Then, you need to account for the time it takes them to prepare the required equipment. Even if we ignore these, you need to remember that other people may have booked appointments ahead of you. This makes the average waiting time for a home inspector visit range from two or three days at the minimum up to a week or two at maximum.
The time to it takes to inspect a home
Typically, a home inspection should not take longer than four to six hours. This number can go down to two or three hours. However, this all depends on several different factors.
Client interaction
First, we need to account for the time the initial meeting between the inspector and client takes. At the start of the inspection, you will typically have a chance to ask questions or share main concerns about the house. If you have anything you want the inspector to focus on, this would be the time to tell them.
Size
Of course, the size of a home impacts how long it might take to finish inspecting it. A good ballpark would be to assume that each one thousand and five hundred square feet add an hour to the inspection. This number is further impacted by the following two aspects.
Condition
If a home is in stellar condition, the inspection will probably pass faster than estimated. The home inspector can approach each aspect of the home without worry or particular caution. Of course, they will still be thorough. On the other hand, if a house is in bad condition, then the time required to complete a house inspection shoots up considerably. Particularly if its shape makes it near hazardous for the inspector. After all, if a home inspector needs to be careful with even something as simple as walking upstairs for fear of collapsing, they need to take longer. Similarly, due to the importance of cataloging the exact condition of everything and there being more problems, the time is further extended.
Age
The age of the house is another thing that can seriously affect the time it takes to inspect it. Older homes tend to have more issues. At the very least, they necessitate a closer look than a newly built building that had likely received an inspection shortly after its completion. Any serious home inspector will take a little extra time to confirm everything is the way it should be, even if the house seems to be in perfect condition.
Additional buildings on the property
Of course, if the property itself contains any additional buildings, then outdoor home inspection often includes them. Unless the home inspector is explicitly asked to ignore them by the client, of course. Examples of this are sheds, detached guest housing, garages, and similar. Each additional building also follows the logic laid out by the previous factors affecting home inspection time.
COVID complications
Finally, if you want to answer the question of 'how long does a home inspection take?' you also need to account for the effects of the pandemic. Sanitary concerns could somewhat slow a home inspection. Of the top reasons to rent storage in NYC during a home inspection, and why many people opt for this, is because home inspectors are often forced to disinfect things as they go. An emptier home naturally means they would have an easier time getting through the inspection quickly.
Receiving the report
When answering 'how long does a home inspection take?', the final thing to consider is the waiting time for your report to arrive. A home inspection cannot really be considered over until you receive the official document detailing all the good and bad aspects of the home. And, while some of the common problems found during a home inspection can be explained on the spot by the inspector, it is often better to save the more complicated issues for the comprehensive report. Luckily, the report will typically arrive within twenty-four hours of the inspection.
Planning advice
How long does a home inspection take in the end? Well, it can take up to two weeks for your inspector to arrive if you are unlucky during the peak season. As for the inspection itself, it will take no longer than seven hours or so. With an additional twenty-four hours of potential waiting time for the inspection report to arrive. So, it is always best to plan for a home inspection well in advance of actually needing it.
Author bio:
Dan Yorven is a retired home inspector with decades of experience behind him. Now, he works as a freelance journalist for blogs that deal with the subject that remains his passion. His advice has helped many interested in the field, and he hopes to continue producing helpful pieces in the future.
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