How to Make the Most of Your Home Inspection in Illinois

After signing your contract in Illinois, you have five business days for your home inspection. Learn what you can expect from this important part of real estate transactions.

How to Make the Most of Your Home Inspection in Illinois

After signing your contract in Illinois, you have five business days to perform a home inspection. This is the perfect opportunity to find a reliable home inspector and schedule a time to visit the property. Most real estate contracts in Illinois provide a 5-day window for home inspections, and it's important to take advantage of it. The contract will also outline the negotiation process.

During negotiations, you can ask the seller to repair any issues, request a credit for future repairs, or propose a combination of both. The seller then has X days to respond to your requests. You can accept them, decline them, or offer an alternative solution. The buyer then has another X days to respond if the seller has declined or proposed an alternative.

In most inspection contingencies, the buyer remains in control of the process and does not miss out on the chance to purchase the home if they request repairs. The seller can say no, and then the buyer has the option to terminate the agreement if they choose. Your WCHI inspector will keep a safe distance and refrain from shaking hands; they will wear gloves and booties during the inspection; and they will provide free hand sanitizer to everyone present at the inspection, while supplies last. Let's take a look at what you can expect from a typical home inspection and who should plan to attend in order to learn more about this important part of the real estate puzzle.

We will be happy to return to any property when necessary to review everything related to the inspection report, following a strict set of safety protocols. Most contracts have a 10-day inspection period (contingency period) that allows these negotiations to take place. This makes a home inspection one of the best forms of protection buyers can have against buying a home that needs repairs they may not be able to afford. This way, you can follow the inspector throughout their journey, ask questions as they learn more about the state of the home, and get an overview of how housing systems work and what you can do to maintain them.

While no two people go through the exact same homebuying process, potential buyers usually plan to contact a local home inspector immediately after signing the contract or purchase agreement. During an inspection, the inspector will adopt an impartial attitude to detect structural and mechanical problems and detect possible safety risks around the property. In the Chicago area, scheduling a home inspection is an incredibly important part of the homebuying process. This can make it difficult for the inspector to get enough space to do their job thoroughly and efficiently.

This allows you to follow the inspector and ask questions as you learn about the state of the house, how its systems work and how to maintain them. Since they're more of an inconvenience to the buyer and don't affect the function or value of the home, you shouldn't feel compelled to repair them. When a buyer submits a repair appendix, the seller is not required to respond and the buyer cannot submit additional requests until they respond. A professional home inspection can help you buy your next home with confidence and peace of mind.

Knowing how long you have for your home inspection in Illinois is key for making sure you make use of this valuable opportunity.