You found a home you love. You made an offer, and the sellers accepted it, but you are still awaiting a home inspection. If you're like most people, you feel a bit nervous and unsure at this point. What will the inspection turn up? How can you ensure it is accurate, and how do you make a decision on the home based on the inspection results? Well, you can start by following these tips for this key phase of the home-buying process.

1. Hire an inspector with good reviews.

In most states, the qualifications for becoming a home inspector are not overly stringent. As such, there is quite a range of abilities in home inspectors. Some are far better than others. One of the best ways to tell the difference between good home inspectors and less-good ones is to read reviews. Look for an inspector whose clients say they are thorough, detailed, and easy to communicate with. The last one is important—an inspector can be really good at noting problems, but if they cannot explain those problems to you well, their work is not as good.

2. Ask questions.

If possible, see if you can walk through the home with the inspector. This will allow you to ask more questions as the inspection is being conducted, as opposed to if the inspector conducts the inspection alone and then gives you the results. If the inspector uses a term you don't recognize, ask them to define it. If they point out something that is wrong, ask how that will affect you and how they feel it should impact the value of the home.

3. Be ready to walk away if the results are bad.

Clearly, you're not going to walk away from a home you love because the inspector finds one leaky window or a light switch that needs to be adjusted. On the other hand, if there is a major issue like a foundation leak, you need to be ready to walk away based on the results of the inspection. An inspector can pick out things you don't always notice with a naked eye, so you should be prepared for possible bad news even if the home looks okay to you.

Going through a home inspection process can be tough, but it's a necessary and important part of the home-buying process. Reach out to your real estate agent or someone at a company like DenMark Home Inspections of South Jersey LLC if you have additional concerns about this stage.

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