Services

Buyer's Pre-purchase Inspection

A Buyer's Pre-purchase Inspection informs the buyer of the general condition of the home. In addition to assisting the buyer with the deciding whether to buy the home, this information can assist the buyer in determining whether the selling price is reasonable. Conditions will be discovered before they get worse and cost more to repair later. Buyers will pay less by hiring one home inspector than by hiring every type of contractor, and a Real Estate Inspection generally costs only 1/20th of 1% of the sales price and provides vital information that can assist in the purchase decision and protect your investment.

Seller's Pre-listing Inspection

A Seller's Pre-listing Inspection report notifies prospective buyers of the home's general condition so they're more ready/likely to make an offer. Buyers won't have to worry & wait for a buyer's inspection. A Pre-listing inspection allows you to choose which conditions you wish to fix to become a non-issue. It gives you more control of the transaction, such as contractors and cost, and justifies the sales price. Reported conditions become know by the buyer, thus less likely to cause a dispute. An inspection provides all these advantages for a cost that is only 1/20th of 1% of the selling price.

Home Warranty Expiration Inspection

A Warranty Expiration Inspection is an inspection performed for an owner who purchased a new home from a builder less than a year ago and wants to have an inspection performed before the warranty expires, so defects that either occurred during or after construction can be discovered and reported to the builder to have the findings corrected by the builder under the warranty. Defects are usually found during these inspections.

Home Maintenance Inspection

A Home Maintenance Inspection is an inspection performed for a home owner that informs the owner of the general condition of their home so they can correct defects and safety hazards or perform routine maintenance and upgrades as desired. Owners can become aware of -- and correct -- significant defects, such as health, safety, structural, fire risks, or conditions that can quickly worsen in extent or cost. The inspection allows owners to prioritize and plan present and future maintenance projects.

Inspections Include

A Real Estate inspection (also called "property inspection" or "home inspection") is a survey that provides information regarding the general condition of the building. Real Estate inspections are not technically exhaustive, destructive, or intrusive. The time needed to perform an inspection of an average single family home usually takes between two and three hours, depending on the design, size, and conditions.

The systems and areas inspected are the roof, gutters, exterior, grounds, drainage, attic, foundation, crawl space, garage, interior, plumbing, heating, cooling, electrical, fireplace, and chimney. Holmes & Watson inspections of these systems/areas are performed in accordance with the Residential Inspection Agreement and Standards of Practice of the California Real Estate Inspection Association.

A written report will be provided. Holmes & Watson inspection findings will be described along with the reason the finding is a concern and a recommended course of action. Findings may recommend correction or further evaluation by the appropriate specialist/engineer/contractor. Further evaluations can provide additional information that may affect a client's course of action; therefore, further evaluations, the written reports, and cost estimates should be obtained before removing investigation contingencies and prior to the close of the transaction/escrow.

A Real Estate Inspection is NOT a health or environmental inspection, which can be conducted by the relevant specialists. The Real Estate inspection is not a substitute for any transferor's or agent's disclosure. The inspection is not a home warranty.

Obtaining a Real Estate inspection is very beneficial and relatively inexpensive given the high monetary value of Real Estate and the benefits of knowing/disclosing the general condition of the home before the transaction.