A professional home inspector is someone that has a lot of skills in checking out a property for defects and snags. If you are looking to buy a house in Lekki Lagos or any other part of Lagos, then you may need to hire a professional home inspector. However, it is not in all cases that you need to hire a professional home inspector.
In this article, we would explain what a professional home inspector does, the benefits of engaging one before you buy a property, where to find them, when you should hire one and how much it costs to engage a professional home inspector.
What does a professional home inspector do?
A professional home inspector is usually a team of house detectives. They are professionals when it comes to inspecting a newly built house. They are experts at shining the spotlight on a property. They look for defects and snags in the property. Usually on the team of a professional home inspector can either be a building engineer or other professional who are experts in property construction and development. Their expertise comes from their experience as builders or being involved in building processes. So when you engage them to inspect a home, they are able to look at the house thoroughly to detect if the property is well constructed or well finished.
A professional home inspector team can also have a structural engineer who would check the structure of the property to be sure that there are no defects in the building frame or foundation. If there are visible cracks that give telltale signs of any problems then the structural engineer could request that an integrity test be carried out.
The integrity test is usually non-destructive and would require samples of the materials to be taken to the laboratory for testing. A non-destructive test is a test that doesn’t involve dealing heavy blows on any part of the building.
When Should You Hire a professional home inspector
At the point of inspecting a property you are looking to buy and live in, you may notice some snags that can be overlooked. However, if you are noticing too many snags, then it may be time to hire a professional home inspector.
The main reason why you should hire a professional home inspector is that you have discovered that the property developer was careless in the finishing or was not paying attention to details. For example if you discover that the doors and windows are not fitted properly. In as much as you have seen that the developer was tacky in the finishing and you are not able to properly lay your hands on all the snags on the property, then you may need to hurriedly call a professional home inspector to your rescue.
Also it is important to have a professional home inspector look through a property that is not well finished for the purpose of making a list of all existing construction snags on the property. You can then present the snags at the negotiation table and either mandate the developer to fix the snags or ask him to deduct the costs from the purchase price.
The parts of the property to check
The most important parts of the property the home inspector would check are the opening areas. The doors, the windows, the roof and the ceiling. They would also check the edges and fixtures. The home inspector would check how well the toilet and bathroom fittings are placed, are the screws properly fixed? Are there any toilet bowls or washers that are shaky even if slightly? Are the windows properly fitted to prevent rain from seeping in? Etc.
The truth is that a professional home inspector has eyes for details and would detect anything the ordinary eyes would have missed during inspection.
Professional home inspections may take hours depending on the size of the property. At the end of the inspection, you would receive a detailed report of the snags and the recommendations. Some reports also come with the cost of fixing the snags as well as details of technicians that can do a good job fixing the snags. This type of all encompassing report can be very beneficial to a potential home buyer.
Types of snags the professional home inspector may detect
The most prominent snags that we have seen are usually related to doors and windows not properly fitting. Also plastering and painting jobs are the least most focused on especially with developers with lower priced properties.
Notwithstanding, snags can be found in the walls and ceilings, windows, floors, doors and frames, stairs, paintwork, pipework, fixtures and fittings, plumbing, wiring and electrical etc.
To get the proper view of all existing snags on a property, the professional home inspector may ask that the electricity be connected, the water be pumped etc. They would go through the house room after room. They also make use of drones to take pictures of the roof and other parts of the property that they possibly can’t get close to.
There are two major categories of snags that the home inspector may detect. It could either be a major snag or a minor snag. A major snag includes any defect that may prevent you from using the property. It could either be a functional snag or a structural snag. A structural snag may involve a part of the building that has issues such as a raised floor or a part of the building overburdened with weight etc. For instance if the bathroom floor is tilted in a way that the water that hits the floor does not naturally flow into the floor drain. It means you may have to sweep the water towards the floor drain each time you use the bathroom.
A functional defect is one that prevents you from using the property or a part of the property. This includes electrical problems, a door not closing very well, or a toilet not flushing properly etc.
Minor snags on the other hand are usually defects that relate to the finishing. For instance a poor paint job, or scratches on the wall or wall sockets that are not properly fixed.
Where can you find a professional home inspector in Lekki Lagos
There are only a few professional home inspectors in Lekki who brand themselves as professional home inspectors. This is most likely because the demand for home inspectors in Nigeria is very low. Most home buyers don’t engage the services of a professional home inspector simply because they already know that they would rework the home to their taste. Sometimes, the home buyer is satisfied if the home they are looking at meets certain requirements. They are willing to compromise on other shortcomings found on the property.
What Does It Cost to hire a professional home inspector in Lekki Lagos
If you are looking to hire a professional home inspector in Lekki, then you must have a budget of between N400,000 – N1,500,000 depending on the size of the property and the location. Professional home inspectors would likely size you up before charging you as there is no fixed cost for inspecting the property. You would be required to provide the floor plan and pictures of the building in order for the home inspector to understand the extent of work to be done. Usually the size of the property, the number of rooms, the number of floors and the fixtures would determine the extent of work the home inspector would charge. So for instance a professional may charge N400,000 for a fully detached duplex in Ikota Lekki while the same detached duplex if located in Lekki Phase 1 may attract a charge of N1,000,000. The good part however is that the fee is not percentage based. The fee is also negotiable and you can haggle for a suitable price before asking the home inspector to meet you at the property location.
Also, if the property requires a structural test to be done which is less likely, you may have to pay an additional N1,000,000 for this test to be done. The home inspector would definitely engage the help of a structural engineer and also require the testing to be done at a proper laboratory.
Benefits of Hiring A Professional Home Inspector
There are many benefits that come with hiring a professional home inspector. The ultimate benefit is that it exposes you to snags that the untrained eyes can’t see during inspection. If you are also looking at getting the best offer for a property, a home inspector can help you point out the areas you would be spending money to repair and the exact amount you are likely to spend. You can easily ask the developer to knock these costs out of your purchase price.
Please note however that you may really not require the services of a professional home inspector if the property looks well finished. You may also be able to detect the snags on the property if you have eyes that capture details or if you have ever worked in the building and construction industry.
The disadvantage of hiring a professional home inspector is that you would be required to spend extra money. If your budget is very lean, then this may be really inconvenient for you. However, a professional home inspector can provide the peace of mind that comes with knowing that the property you are about to purchase has been thoroughly vetted and is structurally fine.
Conclusion
If you are looking to buy a property in Lekki Lagos, as we have said earlier you may actually not need a professional home inspector. You may ask one of your friends or relatives or even your agent to look through the property thoroughly. Your friend or relative may be able to help you identify snags in the property. You should only consider hiring a home inspector if it appears that the developer of the property was tacky. This is mostly evident in the level of attention paid to the finishing. You should also hire a home inspector immediately if there are visible cracks on the wall.
If you need help finding or hiring a professional home inspector in Lekki, Lagos, please contact us and we may be able to help you find one. You can also contact us if you are looking to buy or sell your house in Lekki, Ajah, Victoria Island or Ikoyi.
