Pretty much all home buyers will opt to do a home inspection, it’s cheap insurance that the house you are purchasing will be home in sound condition. Home buyers wanting to use their VA home loan benefits are no exception.
In fact, VA home buyers should have a home inspection checklist ready to hand their home inspector. VA mortgages have some of the highest standards when it comes to the condition and quality of the home being purchased.
Before guaranteeing and backing a mortgage, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) wants to ensure that the home you wish to sell or buy is a worthy investment. Part of ensuring this is by performing the VA home loan inspection. The purpose is to check for any damages or defects in the home that lower its overall value or risk the safety of its occupants. Some examples of these types of defects are broken windows, non-functional HVAC, unsafe electricity, holes or damaged roof, termite WDO infestation, bad plumbing, etc.
One way to prepare for a home inspection is for the buyer to come prepared with their own home inspection checklist, outlining items that they are specifically interested in. This checklist can be used when looking at potential homes or to help the homeowners compare their own observations with the home inspector’s evaluation.
The inspector’s home inspection checklist typically does not cover mold and mildew or fungi, rodents, lead, radon, asbestos and similar chemical issues, though you may want to keep these things on your personal home inspection checklist. The inspector’s list does cover a range of standard observations, and homebuyers should ask the following questions before signing a purchase contract.
VA Home Inspection Checklist Items
- Is the structure of the home sound? This includes the construction of walls, floors, foundation, roof, and ceilings. This should be priority #1.
- Has the exterior of the house been inspected? This includes looking at grading, elevation, drainage, fences, windows and trims, exterior lighting and landscaping.
- Has the plumbing been inspected? This includes identifying the pipe materials that have been used and looking at toilets, showers, sinks, faucets, checking for leaks, etc.
- Have all systems been inspected? These include the chimney and fireplaces, water heaters, furnaces, air conditioning units and septic systems.
- Have the roof and attic been inspected to see the roof construction, flashing and gutters, framing, ventilation and construction been built properly?
- Has the electrical work in the home been evaluated? This includes knowing what type of wiring a home has, looking at the grounding, looking at ceiling fans and light fixtures and evaluating the main panel.
- Have the appliances been inspected? These include writing down and inspecting the condition of dishwashers and ranges, built-in microwaves and garbage disposals, smoke detectors, and any other relevant small appliances that may be left in the home.
It’s important to keep in mind a VA appraisal and a VA home inspection is two different things. The VA appraisal will be required on any home purchase where the buyer is using VA mortgage benefits. The appraisal process is in place to determine the value of the home, not necessarily to find problems. That is where a trained VA home inspector comes in.
Home buyers should remember the VA mortgage (like USDA mortgage) is more of a specialty loan. There are many approved VA lenders, however, very few actually specialize in the program. It’s important to choose a lender that actually specializes in VA loans. Buyers that have questions about the VA loan qualifying requirements, please call VA Mortgage Hub 7 days a week @ ph: 800-743-7556 or just submit the quick Info Request Form on this page.