Relocation and First-Time Buyers
What inspections should a first-time buyer get?
By Steve Lockhart
The short answer
The general home inspection is the foundation: a licensed inspector walks the house and reports on the structure, the roof, the electrical, the plumbing, the heating and cooling, and the things that will cost you money.
Full answer
The general home inspection is the foundation: a licensed inspector walks the house and reports on the structure, the roof, the electrical, the plumbing, the heating and cooling, and the things that will cost you money. In Las Vegas it typically runs a few hundred dollars, and almost every buyer gets one.
Then add the Las Vegas specialties. A pest or termite report is common, and lenders, especially on VA and FHA loans, often require it, because the desert moisture around irrigation and pools draws termites. A roof check gets extra attention here too, because intense sun and monsoon storms age roofing faster than people expect.
Older homes deserve a sewer scope: a camera run through the main line to catch root intrusion or old cast iron pipes on their last legs. It is typically a few hundred dollars and can prevent a multi-thousand dollar surprise. Pools get their own inspection, separately from the house, when the home has one.
Interpreting the findings is the real skill. Every older home has a list, and not every item is a deal breaker. The question is always the same: what is routine upkeep, what is a genuine defect, and who should pay for it. That is where an agent's experience earns its keep.
The inspections also give you the exit: if something major shows up, your inspection contingency lets you renegotiate, ask for repairs, or walk away with your deposit. Skipping them to save a few hundred dollars is the most expensive way to buy a house.
Go a little deeper
Frequently asked
Questions people often follow up on
Do I have to get an inspection?
No Nevada law requires one, but virtually every smart buyer gets one, and lenders require pest reports in many cases. The inspection contingency in your offer is the protection; use it.
Can I be present for the inspection?
Yes, and you should be if you can. Following the inspector around is the fastest education in the home's systems you will ever get. If you are buying from out of state, ask for the full report and a video walkthrough.
What if the inspection uncovers problems?
You negotiate from a position of information: ask for repairs, adjust the price, or, if the issues are serious enough, walk away. Most transactions end with a reasonable compromise in the middle.
The Lockhart Method
The Lockhart Method
Your Home | My Strategy | Proven Results
My strategy: order the right inspections for the home, not the minimum, and read the report with a translator, an experienced agent. Know before you own, and use the contingency to make the home worth what you pay.
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