Reinspection

Here are some of the most common FAQs regarding home re-inspections:

What is a home re-inspection?
Re-inspections take place after the initial home inspection of your new Tennessee home. During the original inspection, the inspection report reveals any recommended repairs or problems that need to be addressed by the seller prior to closing. During a re-inspection, one of our highly qualified UltraSound Home inspectors will follow up on those improvements once they are completed.

 

Are re-inspections necessary?
The short answer here is yes! Not only are re-inspections necessary, they are essential for ensuring that the proper repairs were made correctly. If the original home inspection is thorough enough, there should be no confusion about what repairs need to be made. However, you do not want to wait until your final walk-thru to learn that repairs were either not made or were done incorrectly. For example, if repairs were needed for the electrical panel, it would be important for a licensed electrician to complete the work. Too often, sellers are less than enthusiastic about spending money to fix known issues and may try to skip important steps like obtaining a proper permit. This leaves the new homeowners vulnerable to future issues.

It’s important for homeowners to include a re-inspection clause in a contract to avert any potential problems.

The only time a re-inspection may not be needed is if the seller completes all the repairs and can include both permits and receipts from licensed contractors for the work. This is extremely uncommon, which is why we would always advise a re-inspection.

Do all repairs have to be completed by seller prior to re-inspection?
Again, the short answer here is yes. Any negotiations regarding repairs should be done after the initial home inspection and prior to the re-inspection. Follow-up is typically 90 days after the original inspection. The buyer or their agent provides a repair list. The re-inspection is done to verify the work has been repaired by a licensed professional and meet today’s minimum standards.

 

Do repairs have to be completed by a licensed contractor?
Our company’s policy is that a licensed contractor should complete the work. This helps protect the homebuyer against any additional future issues. Licensed contractors are highly specialized, carry insurance, and will stand behind the quality of work they do. This takes enormous pressure off the homebuyer, as they can feel confident that the repairs won’t be a problem later. Here’s a list of our most trusted contractors.

What happens when repairs aren’t done correctly?
Unfortunately, there are times when home sellers may try to cut costs or corners and repairs aren’t done correctly. Most of the time, the completion of the repairs is a requirement of the lender. These incomplete or incorrect repairs are commonly detected during a re-inspection and can cause more negotiations to take place before closing.

At UltraSound Home Inspections, our intention is to give homebuyers the utmost certainty about their TN home purchase. We believe the home re-inspection is necessary to relieve the homebuyer of any doubt about repairs.