how to inspect a home Cornell College of （如何检查一个家康奈尔大学）.pdf

How To Inspect A Home Before Buying Housing Fact Sheets n assessment of the physical uting that weight evenly to the soil below. condition of the house itself is In addition, a foundation must be able to Aa complicated part of purchasing withstand the lateral (sideways) forces of an existing house. Costly repairs to struc- soil pushing against it without allowing tural or mechanical systems can be cracks and leaks to form. Finally, the foun- avoided or at least anticipated by a pre- dation provides a firm anchor for the build- liminary inspection of the property before ing above. These concepts are illustrated a purchase offer is signed. Even if you are in figure 1. looking for an older house that needs re- pairs, you will be in a better position to negotiate if you are familiar with the ex- tent of repairs that will be needed. The inspection of a house is a job that requires specific technical skills. This Fact Sheet will explain some of the most im- portant areas examined during the home inspection process and things prospective homeowners should be looking for. While you can become familiar enough with common problems that will enable you to Figure 1: The forces on a foundation eliminate certain houses from the purchase consideration, a professional home inspec- tion usually occurs after a purchase offer is accepted. Your purchase offer can con- Types tain a clause that the purchase contract is The term slab-on-grade refers to a type of contingent on acceptable inspection re- construction in which a house rests on a sults. concrete slab. The foundation for this type