Buying a home in Chicago is not the end of your responsibilities. There are a number of steps you have to take to be sure you are doing all that you must do to be sure your investment is protected. Acquiring the right homeowners insurance is part of the equation here. Now, simply acquiring a decent homeowners insurance policy is not (surprise, surprise), the end of the steps you have to take. You are well advised to take any necessary steps to properly repair the home.
One thing worth pointing out here is that the better repaired your home it, the lower the insurance you may be paying will be. After all, the imperfections in the home might be eliminated.
How can you tell what you need to have fixed? There is some good news and some bad news here. The bad news is you really cannot tell on your own all the work that has to be done in the home. You simply are not qualified. The good news is there are people that are qualified to do so. There are professional home inspectors capable of reviewing your home and figure out what problems may exist and how you should go about fixing it. A qualified inspector just might be able to save you quite a bit on your Chicago homeowners insurance policy.
You do not want to hire the first home inspector whose advertisements you come across in an online directory. You want to apply a few basic criteria to be sure you are making the very best selection.
The attributes to look for in a qualified home inspector are nothing too out of the ordinary. Among them would be:
Hire an inspector that has a lot of verifiable experience in the field. Some home inspectors will (logically) point out they hold a license in their field. There is certainly nothing wrong with holding a license, but the requirements are minimal and do not automatically reflect experience. So, always double check on the experience the inspector has.
Be sure the home inspector has the bulk of his experience inspecting….homes. A number of inspectors may be more versed in inspecting businesses. This is fine, but you may wish someone to have more experience in homes.
Ask to see sample of a home inspection report. This would be what you would be receiving after the inspection is done so you would be in a better position if you can examine a sample one long in advance.
Very few of these items are difficult to perform. They take little time to and effort to perform and certainly can help you find a solid home inspector capable of telling you what you should have fixed and repaired.
