After being raised on a farm by an industrial arts teacher, serving in the Army and earning an engineering degree, Jeremy Evans developed a strong eye for detail at a relatively young age – and his friends picked up on it, too.
“They would say ‘hey, why don’t you come out and look at this house with me?’” he said. “And then they would tell their friends to bring me along because I knew what to look for.”
Two years ago, following a long career in electronic and electrical engineering, Evans decided to make home inspections his full-time job. As the co-owner of NPI Minnesota Southwest Metro, a locally owned franchise that is part of the NPI organization, Evans spends his days visiting properties, writing up inspection reports and educating his clients about their prospective investments.
A big part of his job is explaining and clarifying what a home inspection actually is – and what it isn’t.
According to Evans, a home inspection is the observation of readily accessible systems and components of a home. Home inspectors won’t open up walls and look for plumbing or electrical problems, but they will check to see if things like water heaters are in good working order. They don’t do code inspections, but they will make note of any missing safety-related features such as carbon monoxide or smoke detectors. Additionally, because they’re not appraisers, it’s not up to them to determine a home’s market value. Instead, their role is to perform an objective overview and provide information to educate the potential buyer on the condition of the property.
“We’re coming in as kind of a ‘jack of all trades’ and at a lower price than you would pay if you were hiring the professional contracted for each segment of the building,” Evans said. “If we do end up identifying possible issues in our inspection, then the buyer may want to consult with a professional at that point, but we’ll save them money on those fees unless they need to happen.”
Most of the time, the inspection process begins once a buyer puts in an offer on a home and that offer is typically contingent upon the results of home inspection.
“Basically, people want to make sure they’re not buying a money pit,” Evans said.
Inspection Expectations
The main things Evans will look at in an inspection include, but aren’t limited to:
- The roof – are there areas where water can get in?
- The foundation and structure of the home
- Plumbing
- Electrical systems
- HVAC systems
- Landscaping and gutters
Once the inspection is complete, Evans will provide a detailed report to the buyers who then have the option to share it with their real estate agent or any other party of their choice. They can then use the information in the report to decide whether they want to move forward with the sale.
However, just because a home inspection uncovers some problems doesn’t mean all is lost. For example, people who enjoy renovation projects and are skilled in home repair can sometimes leverage the information from the report to negotiate a lower price.
“The report can help them make a more informed decision about what they want to do,” Evans said.
And while some buyers may think they can go it alone without an inspector, there are dozens of little things that can be missed by the untrained eye, some of which can lead to major problems down the road. For that reason – and many more – Evans suggests that anyone purchasing a home enlist the help of a professional.
“I like to say that I provide peace of mind,” he said. “That’s very important when you’re making such a big investment.”
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