Once you have settled on a specific home and plan to make an offer, it will be easy to feel like the journey is over. But that’s not quite the case. You still need to have a home inspection in Arizona, to make sure there are no surprises lurking out of sight. It’s important to confirm that the property is in good condition, and a home inspection can do just that.

To highlight the value of a home inspection in Arizona, let’s take a quick look at five things that you should be watching out for as you work toward closing a deal.

#1 – Roofing Problems

A problematic roof can be costly to fix. Considering the fact that the roof is the first line of defense for the home against the weather, it obviously needs to be in good condition. That is true everywhere, but it is particularly true in Arizona, where the sun beats down powerfully throughout much of the year. Our monsoon season brings heavy winds and rain as well. A thorough home inspection will be able to assess the condition of the roof and provide input on how you should proceed.

#2 – Air Conditioning & Heating System

This one should be a no-brainer. Purchasing a home in Arizona without a properly functioning air conditioner would not be a comfortable experience. At the same time, it does get cold here on occasion, so making sure the heating system is working well is also important. If there are problems with the heating or air conditioning, you’ll want to discover them before closing so you can adjust your offer or negotiate repairs as necessary.

#3 – Issues with Electrical

If you are thinking of buying an older home, this is a point which should have your full attention. New homes can have electrical problems too, of course, but troubles with the electrical system are particularly common when the house has decades of history behind it. Electrical codes change over time, and equipment and best practices for wiring a home safely have evolved. Again, this is a point which should highlight the need for a proper home inspection in Arizona. Find out what kind of condition the electrical system is in and learn in advance if any repairs or changes will be needed.

#4 – Plumbing Worries

Moving water around inside a house is an important task. Whether that water is heading to, or from, the kitchen, the bathrooms, or the laundry room, it needs to be contained properly all along the way. Water running loose behind the scenes in a home is sure to be trouble, as it can quickly do some significant damage. Your home inspector will run pressure tests on the incoming water lines, and drainage tests on the sewer lines to ensure the entire plumbing system is functioning as it should.

#5 – Termites

For small insects, termites can sure do a lot of damage. When you walk through a home, you may not necessarily see any sign of termites, which is why you need to have an inspector take a closer look. There are signs that an experienced inspector can watch for in an effort to determine if any termite issues are taking place out of sight.

Opting for a home inspection in Arizona is an easy decision. Even if the inspection finds nothing at all wrong with the home you are planning to purchase, the peace of mind alone will be well worth the investment. And, if one of the five points above does wind up coming into play, you will have potentially saved yourself thousands of dollars.

If you are already in the middle of the home-buying process, you have already learned that there are plenty of steps to manage along the way. Despite your excitement, it is important to take each step as it comes, leaning on your real estate agent for advice and guidance. One of the most important steps of the entire process is a home inspection. Including a Phoenix home inspection as part of your offer is a smart move, for a variety of reasons. Let’s take a close look at this topic.

A Huge Investment

In all likelihood, this home purchase is the biggest purchase – from a dollar value perspective – that you have made in your life. With so much money on the line, there is no reason to take chances. The cost of a professional home inspection is a drop in the bucket as compared to the amount of money at stake with your home purchase. If the home inspection reveals expensive repairs which need to be performed on the property, you will be glad you didn’t skip this step.

Don’t Be Distracted

When a homeowner gets ready to sell their residence, they are likely to ‘stage’ the home in such a way that it is attractive to potential buyers. This means cleaning up the inside, working on the landscaping, etc. There is nothing wrong with staging, but it may distract you from some meaningful problems that are affecting the structure of the home. The expensive parts of a house tend to be the parts that you can’t see as you walk through – which is why an inspection is so critical. An experienced home inspector will thoroughly investigate the state of the property, providing you with valuable feedback that you can use as you move forward.

Gain Some Leverage

It is quite common for at least a few items to come up on a home inspection. Even homes that are in good condition tend to have a couple issues here and there. Those issues aren’t necessarily a reason to walk away, but they might give you a bit of bargaining power in the negotiations. For instance, if a couple problems pop up that you would like to have fixed, you can work the price of those fixes into your offer. Buyers who skip out on a home inspection altogether will not have the opportunity to negotiate in such a manner, meaning they may wind up paying more in the end.

Peace of Mind

At the end of the day, it is likely the peace of mind that you gain from a home inspection which will be most valuable. When you sign the papers and take the keys to your new home, you want to know that you have made a sound investment and provided your family with a comfortable and safe place to live. The few hundred dollars that it may cost for a Phoenix home inspection are well worth the peace of mind that will be gained, along with all of the other benefits listed in this article.

Don’t be in such a rush to purchase a new home that you agree to forgo a Phoenix home inspection. The home inspection doesn’t add much time to the process, and it doesn’t require a significant investment of funds. There is a lot on the table when purchasing a home, and having a professional inspector offer their analysis and input is a great way to reduce the overall risk of this transaction.