The importance of moving inspections

The home inspection process is a big part of moving. It can often be overlooked in the many steps involved with moving, from finding a new place to live, to packing up all of your items into boxes, to the day (or days) itself where you put all your precious belongings on a truck and take them to a new home. But within all those tasks come inspections, and it is important to not skip it when relocating.

Both for your old place and the new location you are moving to, an inspection is necessary. To forgo them, or doing them poorly, can be quite costly. Here are some things to remember when going through your move-out and move-in inspections.

Move out

Before moving from a house or apartment, it is important everything you leave behind is in good working order. Work your way through the property and be meticulous to check every single thing that is broken so they can be repaired. Aspects of the space that are out of order can lead to charges from a landlord. Each room in the house presents its own set of potential issues, so it is equally important to ensure the front hallway looks as nice as a back bathroom.

It is also vital to check for things out of the ordinary. Moving Insider suggests bringing in some outside help for specific tasks, such as the removal of pests and mold. An untrained eye may not be able to catch these things, but they will show up on an inspection report if you are not careful.

If you see insects or rodents, the magazine recommends calling an exterminator to evaluate and eliminate the issue. Brining in an expert also makes sense if you see mold or fungus, as those are occasionally missed during home inspections but can be charged to you later on. Additionally, if you are moving out of an older home, it may be helpful to hire a professional to check for lead or asbestos.

The people who are looking to buy or rent your place after you are done with it will do a new home inspection of their own. But before that happens, it is helpful to look it over yourself to make sure there is not any huge concerns that will cost you big time later on.

Move in

When you find the place you want to live, and before your official move in inspection takes place, take some time to look over the property. There are some common issues that can be avoided by just looking things over with a careful eye.

As you did when you moved out of your old place, review everything in your new home to be sure it is all working properly. If a light bulb is out or a doorbell doesn't work when you moved in, that is not something you should have to pay to repair. However if you don't spot the issue and let the previous owner or the real estate agent know, it will eventually be your sole responsibility to deal with.

Subtle things, such as opening and closing windows, making sure sink drains work correctly, and that the oven heats up, are also worth reviewing, according to Consumer Reports. These tasks may not be atop your checklist when going through an inspection, but they will matter once you are living in the home. Have your spouse - or if you are moving alone, bring a friend - check things over as well, as it can never hurt to have an extra set of eyes take a look.