A home inspection checklist will save anyone who is buying or selling a house a lot of time and aggravation. For homebuyers, a home inspection is the main protection they have for the largest purchase they'll ever make, and a checklist will make sure they get the most from their inspection and inspector. But, it is almost as important for home sellers to get a home inspection done, even before their house goes on the market. A home inspection checklist can save a home seller from losing the chance to buy his or her dream home.

While most people understand that a home inspection is needed when they buy a home, most don't consider doing the same when they sell a home. When buying a home, a home inspection will uncover any hidden issues so they may be addressed before the sale is finalized ? instead of after the sale is complete and the issue becomes the responsibility of only the buyer. A checklist is used to make sure the home inspection covered all the areas of the home that needed to be checked. Without a checklist, the inspector may finish the inspection having missed an area or not being aware of it. If this happens, it's like not having a home inspection done ? you may still have unpleasant surprises after you move into your new home.

But, how does a home inspection checklist save a home seller from losing a chance to buy a new home? In most cases, sellers are just as surprised as buyers when problems are discovered during a home inspection. But the consequences of an unforeseen problem are different for the buyer and seller. Indeed, it's good if a home inspection checklist helps buyers find problems. But, for a seller, a problem uncovered in a home inspection can have serious consequences.

Most home sellers are buying a new home too. They also will place offers on new homes that are conditional on a successful home inspection and they too will use home inspection checklists to make sure those inspections are done properly. The offers they make on new homes are often contingent on their existing home being sold by a certain time and for a certain price. If anything affects the timing of the sale of their existing home, or the price they expect to receive, it could affect their ability to meet the offer they made on the new home - and it might mean they are unable to close the deal on the home of their dreams.

If a buyer's home inspection discovers an unforeseen problem, it can mean two things. First, the buyer will reduce the offer on the house an amount equivalent to the estimated cost of repairing the problem. Second, the buyer would require the seller to repair the problem at the seller's expense. Of course, if the problem is large enough to interfere with the closing of the house, it will probably involve significant costs and time.

In either case, the seller will not have the same funds he expected when he placed his on offer on a new house. If he is unable to meet the terms of the offer he made, the offer can be dismissed and the buyer will lose the opportunity to get the house.

That's how important a home inspection is for both buyers and sellers ? and it's also why a home inspection checklist is very important. Without a checklist, buyers or sellers have no way of confirming that the home inspection was thorough and, if there are any areas of the inspection that are incomplete, the consequences are the same as if there was no inspection done.

A home inspection checklist does not have to be complicated, just complete. Aside from listing all of the areas of the home that need to be inspected, and including a checkbox to confirm that the area was inspected, a good checklist will include space for notes to be made to give an idea of the condition of each area and the extent of work that may be needed. Talk to your home inspector and make sure they provide you with a complete home inspection checklist before they begin their inspection.

The professionals at Allmax Home Inspections are certified home inspectors who will make sure you keep track of their work with a proper home inspection checklist.