Definition of "Home Inspection"

Sherry Bryant real estate agent

Written by

Sherry Bryantelite badge icon

Magnolia Real Estate

The basic home inspection definition is well-known for everyone, right?

However, when it comes to real estate, the term “inspection” can serve a bunch of purposes – but the basic meaning is always the same: to analyze something with a purpose of approving or disapproving it.

Home inspection is the name of an on-site examination of a structure and its materials to ensure all safety measures are met, and that the dwelling in question is in a satisfactory condition. Often a real estate purchase contract will be contingent on a positive site inspection. A valid home inspection can only be performed by a professional home inspector.

In property or liability insurance, the home inspection is a right retained by the company to make the inspection in the insured premises as well as its operations in order to detect inherent structural defects and other hidden hazards that could activate the claim. They do it to calculate the risk of damage to the insured and determine the principal of its policy.


But an inspection can also be performed to help reduce loss frequency and severity through recommended safety engineering loss prevention and reduction procedures. In workers compensation insurance, for instance, the insurance company must make inspections to the company's payroll record since premiums are based on the business's gross payroll. In life insurance, the company may obtain verification of statements by an applicant and other information to determine its ensured value and more.

 

Real Estate Tips:

 A home inspection is one of the first steps when you decide to sell your house. Do not overlook it, otherwise, it can cost you a deal later on! Have the home inspection done as soon as you can!

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

Out-of-state or out of jurisdiction administrator appointed to probate a decedents property when there is no executer or executrix. ...

Range reconnaissance, or surveying, for the purpose of preparing grazing capacity estimates. There are two parts to a range survey: mapping of grazing cover varieties and associated ...

Real rate of interest on a loan. It is the coupon rate divided by the net proceeds of the loan. Assume Sharon took out a $1,000,000, on year, 10% discounted loan to buy real estate. The ...

Also called settlor. A trust created by a will starting upon the donor's death. It empowers a trust administrator to implement the terms of the trust. ...

Something that is hidden or overlooked and may be realized at a later time. For example, an individual's name is improperly spelled on a title deed, and the oversight is not noticed until ...

Expenditures incurred to develop real estate. An example is the cost to build a shopping center. ...

Appraisal by summation is an Alias for Replacement Cost A.K.A. Cost Approach, which is one of the approaches an Appraiser can go through in order to assign a Market Value to a ...

A lien on property such as for the nonpayment of real estate taxes or mechanic's lien for repairs to the home without the consent of the owner, created by operation of law. ...

Bankruptcy declared by any insolvent person or business. In contrast to involuntary bankruptcy, which is applied for by the creditors. ...

Popular Real Estate Questions