Inspect Now, Sell (or Not) Later

Q Should I get a home inspection even if I'm not planning to sell?

AIgnorance may be bliss in some cases, but not when it comes to home maintenance.

A home inspection could be a wise investment specifically because you are not planning to sell -- especially if you don't know much about how your house works, or if you don't like crawling around in attics or climbing ladders, or if you've been too busy to focus on upkeep for several years.

In any of these cases, you could save tens of thousands of dollars by spending $350 or so now on an inspection. For that, someone will go through your house, inside and out, and point out maintenance issues that could grow into major problems if you ignore them. Even if the inspector finds nothing amiss, you may learn enough to justify the cost. Many inspectors entered the business from other construction-related fields, so if you hire carefully and are present when the inspection is done, it's like getting advice from that wise, seasoned uncle you wish you had.

Inspectors are supposed to look at all the same things whether a report is part of a real estate transaction or is being done for someone who isn't planning to sell. But you can get more useful information from an inspection once you are living in the house than you might have gleaned from the report at the time you bought. "When people are buying, they are interested in the operational condition of the components -- and in information they can use to negotiate repairs, replacement or cost adjustments," says Joe Corsetto, a home inspector in New Jersey who serves as president of the American Society of Home Inspectors. As a result, inspection reports at the time of sale wind up being fairly cut and dried.

But homeowners who aren't planning to sell usually are looking for guidance, so inspectors elaborate more, Corsetto says. As an example, he cited what might happen if an inspector found deteriorated roof shingles. "The homeowner who is just looking for information might wonder, 'Can I patch and get by for two years while my kid gets through college?' The inspector may say, 'Yes, but a patch is not a repair. Eventually you will need to replace the roof.' But in a real estate transaction, the roof condition is X, Y, Z. All the dialogue about how you can nurse something along will be eliminated."

Before you arrange for a home inspection, it's important to recognize that there are different kinds. Besides those that take a broad look at your house, there are several that focus on specifics, such as roofs, energy issues, or rot and termites. If you know you have a problem, it may pay to zero in on these right from the start.

For example, if you are worried that the flying insects you see might be termites, you should get an inspection from a pest-control expert, which will cost about $100. Besides saving several hundred dollars, you're more likely to get the information you need. General home inspectors do check for insect damage and rot, but many note only whether there is evidence of "wood-destroying organisms" and won't identify the type. That's because many states, including Maryland, permit only licensed pest-control experts to evaluate these problems as part of a sale of the property. To protect themselves from liability, some general home inspectors interpret that as a blanket rule against being specific about pest problems.

Also consider skipping a general inspection and going straight to a specialized one if you are trying to figure out whether better insulation would keep your house cooler in the summer or warmer in winter. A general home inspection covers insulation, but the inspector typically just measures the depth in the attic and notes whether there are big gaps. For the same $350 that you might spend to learn that, you could hire a company that does energy audits or home performance assessments to take a more in-depth look. Among other things, these crews will bring diagnostic equipment, fill your house with pressurized air and trace where it leaks out. Some even bring heat-sensing cameras that pinpoint gaps in insulation, although you might have to pay extra for that service.

Whatever type of inspection you arrange, be sure to check credentials before you hire anyone. You can often do this through the Web sites of various professional organizations. General home inspectors who are members of the American Society of Home Inspectors ( http://www.ashi.org/ ) must agree to a code of ethics that limits them to giving advice, which helps guarantee more neutral advice than you might get from an inspector who is also in the business of doing repair work. The National Pest Management Association ( http://www.pestworld.org/ ) runs a question-and-answer service for homeowners that will respond to specific questions you type in. To find a company that evaluates insulation issues, call your local utility company or go to the Web sites of the Residential Energy Services Network ( http://www.natresnet.org/ ) or the Building Performance Institute ( http://www.bpi.org/ ).