What Happens at the Home Inspection When I Buy My First Home in Lodi?

Your home inspection in Lodi happens right after your offer is accepted, during your inspection period, which is typically 17 days, though every offer is different. A licensed inspector goes through the home from top to bottom, I'm there with you, and then we read the report together and decide what, if anything, to do about it.

Audrey Schmierer is a REALTOR® with Keller Williams Central Valley in Lodi, CA, helping first-time buyers and downsizers buy and sell with confidence. I'm Audrey Schmierer, I've lived in Lodi my whole life, and I love helping first-time buyers get to know their new home.

Here's why. Up to now, you've seen the home for a short visit, with someone else's furniture in it. Inspection day is when you really get to know it. You walk every room again, you open the closets, you look up at the roof. It's the first day the house starts to feel like yours.

Your offer gets accepted. You're in escrow. The very next stretch is your inspection period, which some people call the investigation period. We'll know your exact dates the moment your offer is signed.

Your offer includes an inspection contingency. That's a protection written into your offer for you, in case something unexpected shows up. Think of it as your time to look under the hood before the home is officially yours.

That's the good news. You're not buying a mystery. You're buying a home you understand, with a clear picture of what it needs now, what it might need later and what it may never need at all.

The inspection is one piece of a bigger plan. See where it fits in the offer and escrow step of buying with me.

I always recommend at least three:

• A home inspection. The big one, covering the whole house from top to bottom.
• A termite inspection. A close look for termites and the damage they can leave behind.
• A roof inspection. A specialist's view of the roof, one of the most expensive parts of a home to replace.

If the home has a pool or a chimney, those inspections are good to get as well.

As the buyer, you usually pay for your inspections. Think of it as buying peace of mind. You'll walk into escrow knowing exactly what you're getting.

A licensed home inspector goes through the property from the roof to the foundation. Here's what gets a close look:

• The roof and roofline. Is the line straight, or does it sag anywhere? Roughly how old is the roof?
• The foundation. Hairline cracks are usually cosmetic. Wide or uneven cracks, especially with doors that don't close right, deserve a closer look.
• The plumbing. Pipes, drains, fixtures and the water heater.
• The electrical. The panel and the wiring you can't see on a tour.
• Heating and air conditioning. How it runs and roughly how old it is.

The roof, the foundation and the systems are the bones of a home. They cost the most to replace, and they're the easiest to miss on a showing because they aren't pretty. A fresh coat of paint can't tell you anything about the water heater. The inspection can.

My dad was a local contractor, so I grew up around every phase of a home coming together. I can't help looking at the roof before the kitchen, and on inspection day that habit comes in handy. For what to notice before you ever make an offer, read touring homes in Lodi as a first-time buyer.

Yes, if you can. It's time well spent in your new home before it's yours. And you won't be on your own. When I'm your buyer's agent, I go to the home inspection with you.

Live out of town? We can video with the inspector, and you can ask any questions you want.

A few ways to make the most of it:

• Walk along with the inspector. Seeing an item in person beats reading about it later in a report.
• Ask questions. "Is that a big deal?" "How old is this?" "What would you keep an eye on?" Every question is a good one.
• Ask the age of the big three. The roof, the water heater and the heating and air. A home can look freshly updated and still have older systems, because cosmetic updates and mechanical updates aren't always the same project.
• Find the shutoffs. Ask where the main water shutoff and the electrical panel are. Future you will be glad you know.
• Take photos and notes. They're great for planning furniture, paint colors and the projects you'll want down the road.

Once the report arrives, here's how we work through it, step by step.

1. Take a breath. Most homes have at least a few items on the report, even homes that look perfect. A long list doesn't mean a bad house.

2. We read it together. I help you understand everything the inspector found, in plain words, so nothing on the page is a mystery.

3. Sort the big from the small. A loose cabinet door and an aging roof don't belong in the same pile. We sort each item into three groups: the bones of the home, the things worth planning for, and the small fixes you can handle after you move in.

4. Get a closer look if you need one. If something big needs a second opinion, I can introduce you to local trades people. One client, Jennifer K., wrote that I "was able to provide introductions for trades people in the area."

5. Decide what, if anything, to ask the seller for. Some items you'll happily take on yourself. For others, depending on what the inspectors find, you can ask the seller for repairs, a credit or a lower price. Which one makes sense depends on the situation. I give you my straight recommendation, and you make the call.

6. Stay inside your dates. Your inspection period has an end date, so we keep everything moving on time. You get frequent updates from me, so you always know what's next and when.

The final walk-through is your last look at the home before closing. When I'm your buyer's agent, I go to the final walk-through with you, too.

Together, we walk through the home to make sure everything that was agreed on has been completed, and that the home is in the same condition it was in when you made your offer.

It's a lovely bookend. You got to know the home on inspection day, and now you see it one more time, right before it becomes yours. Meanwhile, your lender orders the appraisal and finalizes your loan, and in California, escrow and a title company handle the closing.

Then comes keys day. Read what that moment feels like in from offer to keys in Lodi.

A few small things can make inspection week more stressful than it needs to be. All of them are easy to avoid.

Skipping it to save time. The systems you can't see on a showing are exactly what the inspection period is for.

Stopping at one inspection. A home inspection, a termite inspection and a roof inspection together give you the full picture.

Treating every item as a deal breaker. Most items are small. We keep our attention on the big stuff.

Judging the house by its finishes. New counters are lovely. The roof and the water heater matter more.

Losing track of the dates. The inspection period has a deadline, and I keep it on the calendar for you.

Every home is different, so here are a few made-up situations to show how it can go.

Say you're buying an older home with character in Downtown Lodi. We'd pay extra attention to the roof, the plumbing, the electrical and the foundation, the things that matter most as a home ages. The charm stays. You simply know what you're getting.

Say you've found a freshly updated home in Parkwest. New floors and paint look wonderful. We'd still ask how old the roof, the water heater and the heating and air are, because the updates you see and the systems you don't aren't always from the same year.

Say the report comes back long and your stomach drops. We'd sit down and sort it. Maybe most of it lands in the small-fixes pile, a few items go on your someday list, and you breathe again.

Say the inspector flags something big. We'd get a closer look from a local trades person, talk through your options and decide your next step well before your inspection period ends.

Say you're moving to Lodi and buying your first home at the same time. Welcome! We'd video with the inspector so you can see the home and ask your questions from wherever you are. Read what to know before moving to Lodi for how the whole move fits together.

Whatever the report says, you'll understand it and you'll have a plan. Audrey Schmierer is a REALTOR® with Keller Williams Central Valley in Lodi, CA, helping first-time buyers and downsizers buy and sell with confidence.

After your offer is accepted, you have an inspection period, typically 17 days, though every offer is different. I recommend at least a home inspection, a termite inspection and a roof inspection, which the buyer usually pays for. The home inspector checks the home from the roof to the foundation, including the plumbing, the electrical and the heating and air. I go with you, then we read the reports together, sort the big items from the small ones and decide whether to ask the seller for repairs, a credit or a lower price. Before closing, I go with you to the final walk-through to make sure everything agreed on is done.

That's the whole inspection in one breath, and I'm right beside you for every step of it.

Here's the move. Start with a buyer consultation at my office. We'll go over the whole process, inspection day included, so nothing catches you by surprise. Then we get you pre-approved and go find your home.

See every step of how I help you buy a home, read about how I help first-time buyers, or call, text or email me to set up a time. Audrey Schmierer is a REALTOR® with Keller Williams Central Valley in Lodi, CA, helping first-time buyers and downsizers buy and sell with confidence.

This article describes how I generally help buyers. It isn't legal, tax or lending advice, and every purchase has its own details.