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FAQs
At SHOOTING STAR HOME INSPECTIONS LLC we do our best to answer all of your questions. Below you will find a list of what we believe are the most frequently asked questions. If you have any questions that have not been answered below, do not hesistate to contact us.
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A typical inspection should take 2 to 3 hours to complete. This can vary, given the current condition and size of the home, the accessibility of mechanical systems, and so on. As a courtesy to sellers, we recommend that they be informed of the time frame in a pre-purchase home inspection situation.
We inspect the major systems of the house. These include but are not limited to the Roof, Exterior, Attic, Structure, Electrical, Heating, Cooling, Plumbing, Insulation, and Interior. Our goal is to identify any existing major problems that would affect a typical buyer's decision to purchase.
Our typical fee for an inspection is mostly based on square footage in addition to other factors such as age, condition and accessibility factors that are unique to each home. Typical inspection fees start at $350 for smaller houses and $300 for small condos depending on other factors such as garage space and if it is connected to other units or standalone. It is always more cost effective to get the inspection along with a radon test and wood destroying insect inspection as the discounts on the package reduce to total by roughly $100-$200. If you are comparing home inspection firms, the fee charged should not be the deciding factor unless the level of service offered is identical. Remember, you are considering a major purchase and your choice of home inspector should be based on getting the best value, not just the best price. We are very experienced and have a large variety of technology available to help determine causes of moisture, foundation issues and other serious issues. Ask about our current discounts and incentives for veterans and first responders. Package discounts are available for all clients.
- Complete home inspection conducted by a state of Ohio licensed professional home inspector.
- Comprehensive written home inspection report.
- Technical support for as long as you own your home.
Definitely. We encourage you to dress comfortable, attend for some or all or the inspection and ask questions! The inspection is a valuable learning experience for most homebuyers. We are first time home buyer friendly and immensely informative.
You don't have to take notes during the inspection. We will document everything in a written report that contains high resolution photos of issues found. It's much better to follow the inspector through, listening to his comments to make sure you understand. It's also a great opportunity to ask questions and to clarify anything that confuses you.
Absolutely! You may want to bring some questions that you have regarding the home. You should also feel free to stop the inspector and ask questions as you go. If the inspector's comments or explanations are not clear, please ask for clarification.
You should dress comfortably and be prepared to spend roughly 2 1/2 - 3 hours walking through the home with the inspector. You won't have to climb on the roof or go into the attic, so your clothes won't get dirty.
Yes of course you can bring your family. All we ask is that you give the inspector a clear path to do the job and for safety reasons keep an eye on children. Lastly, since this is a technical evaluation, and you will be interacting with the inspector — the fewer distractions, the better.
You do receive a written report. It would be unfair to ask you to remember all of the things we cover during a home inspection. The report includes a summary of the condition of the home and details on all the major systems of the home. It is delivered within 24 hours after we leave the inspection site.
No. Our goal is to report on the condition of the house, indicating potential repairs and expenses. Ultimately, it is your decision as to whether or not you buy the house. The home inspection is very important but it is only one piece of the puzzle. Only you know all of the factors at play. Your real estate professional can help you here.
A home inspection is a professional opinion based on less-than-complete information. It's a little like getting a check-up from your doctor. It improves your odds of good health but there is no guarantee or warranty. Some problems can only be discovered by living in a house; they cannot be discovered during a home inspection. For example, some shower stalls leak when people use the shower but don't leak when you simply turn on the shower. Some roofs and basements only leak when specific weather conditions exist. Some problems will only be discovered when carpets are lifted, furniture is moved or finishes are removed. As such, we cannot and do not offer a warranty on the house. Home warranty programs are available from others. We would be happy to help you contact a warranty company.
Our inspectors are graduates of the Home Spection Training Institue, a brick and mortar inspector school in the Akron-Canton area. The school provides classroom and hands on inspector training by a staff that has many decades of invaluable experience that is passed on to new inspectors.
Our inspectors are also fully certified professional inspectors with the International Association of Certified Home inspectors (InterNACHI). Inspectors have to go through rigorous continuing education requirements to maintain licensing.
Our inspectors are licensed with the State of Ohio as is required of all home inspectors as of 2019. You have to have had your own business for several years or the equivalent work experience in addition to maintaining continuing education requirements to obtain and maintain the license.
Lastly with vast experience ranging from the smallest to the largest homes and from the oldest to the newest we are clued in to various issues that people encounter on the different home designs and from the various builders in this area. Our experience also includes inspecting homes for renovation firms which has given us an impressive amount of experience dealing with strutural issues and defects found in basements and foundations.
Our inspectors are licensed by the state of Ohio and are members of the InterNACHI professional home inspection organization.
Our inspectors are ready to serve you quickly. However, when the sale of a home is conditional on the results of a home inspection, we recommend that you allow at least three days to arrange for a home inspection.
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1. General Home Inspection per the State of Ohio standards
This can be if you are buying in order to find out everything that is going on with the home
This can be if you are selling, we call it a pre-listing inspection and then finished you can repair what you want and leave the report for a prospective buyer to let them know that you know what the exact condition of the home is. This makes for a faster, less complicated transaction in most cases.
2. 48 hour radon discovery test
- We use only the best continuous radon monitors from Air Things Pro. You get a 6 page fully detailed report showing the radon concentration, temperature, relative humidity, and barometric pressure readings taken every hour for the 48 hours in graphical and tabulated data format.
3. Wood destroying insect inspection per the State of Ohio standards. The report is a 2 page pdf on the state form NPMA-33.
4. Sanitary sewer scope inspection
-We are a certified and insured sanitary sewer scope inspection firm that offers this valuable service. We run a very expensive digital camera with sonar through your sanitary sewer. The deliverable to you is a written description and recommendations in your home inspection report, and a You -Tube video. This inspection catches obstructions in the sanitary line that may cause back-ups and collapsed / damaged pipes. These descrepencies are usually found well after the move in and payment comes out of your pocket, in most cases it may cost $2500-$10000 to repair depending on the damage.