Home Inspection Report Provided On-Site Vs. Delivered Later

When buying a home, you have the right to complete many different types of inspections of the potential home you’re purchasing. Whether you have purchased five homes or you’re going to buy your first home, a home inspection in almost every case is highly recommended.

While a home inspection is the opportunity to thoroughly investigate the home you’re potentially going to be purchasing, it’s important to understand that a home inspector will find some issues with every home, even a newly built home. From electrical points to plumbing works to the issues related to seepages, a home inspection report covers them all.

So before hiring a home inspector, you need to figure out whether you want an on-site report or one that is delivered later. Both of them have their own advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, as an expert in the field, True Blue Home Inspections has written down information on both options. Keep reading to find out which one would suit your needs best.

A. On-site home inspection report
There are many home inspectors that are equipped with laptops and software that allow them to prepare and deliver the inspection report on-site to their clients. This is very helpful if the buyers are under a time restraint to present their request list to the seller. This helps everyone move on with the transaction, and the inspector can move on to their next inspection. 

However, even with the most advanced software, this may still take some time to prepare and may actually lengthen the time on site. This may become an inconvenience to the seller who wants to have everyone leave. Additionally, even though the inspection tour is fresh in everyone’s mind (especially the inspector), there may have been some ‘mysteries’ discovered and not fully understood during the tour. If the report is written down at the moment, these problems may not be fully explained in context or properly noted for further examination by the appropriate technicians.

B. Home inspection report delivered later
When the inspection report is delivered later (hopefully the same day), it does put some time pressure on the buyer to review the report and prepare their request list. This may cause some anxiety when considering all of the possible defects the inspector discovered and how to best negotiate with the seller for them to be repaired.

However, I feel that this brief pause in the action allows the buyer some time to reflect on the found defects and to better prioritize their needs. This will then allow them to respond in a more rational way when presented with the list of defects as noted in the report.

This delay also allows the inspector to gain a better perspective on the defects and discover ways that they may have been related that were not evident at the time. I recall many times when two ‘mystery’ clues suddenly became clearly related during the drive home. It helped me better explain the situation to them with proper context in my report. The inspection report is a legal document and should not be rushed.

Takeaway
Home inspectors have a lot of work on their hands. Not only must they perform the inspection, but they should also adhere to the expectations of the buyer. One of the expectations of the buyer may very well be that they see a completed report by the end of the day of the inspection. At the end of the day, providing a timely home inspection report is part of the process of being successful. Clients expect their answers quickly, and of course, they want the answers delivered in an easy-to-read format.

Whether you require an on-site home inspection report or one delivered later depends on the urgency of your situation. An on-site home inspection report is very helpful if the buyers are under a time restraint to present their request list to the seller. However, a home inspection report delivered later allows the buyer some time to reflect on the found defects and to better prioritize their needs. Remember to do your homework and decide on a type of report that best suits your unique situation.

If you are looking for an ASHI certified home inspector in Chicago, Illinois, reach out to me at True Blue Home Inspections. My purpose is to provide the most reliable and accurate information about the property that I can to my clients. By giving them a highly trained, unbiased perspective, I strive to offer clarity, direction, and peace of mind to the home buyer. I focus on safety issues and the proper function of all systems and components.

I offer services like home buyer inspection, home seller pre-listing inspection and consultation, indoor air quality, commercial lite, etc., to the entire Chicagoland area, including the following cities and suburbs: Berwyn, Chicago, Cicero, Des Plaines, Elmwood Park, Evanston, Franklin Park, Glencoe, Glenview, Harwood Heights, Kenilworth, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Norridge, Northbrook, Northfield, Oak Park, Park Ridge, River Grove, Schiller Park, Skokie, Wilmette, Winnetka.

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