Should You Opt For Full Home Inspection or 4 Point Home Inspectio...

Most homeowners opting for the home inspection services are confused about whether to opt for a 4-point home inspection or a full home inspection. If you also have the same doubt, do not worry!

We will talk in length about these two inspections in the following paragraphs and try to dispel your confusion. So, let’s start the discussion with brief definitions of the two-

4-Point House Inspection

Although they sound similar, fundamental differences exist between a 4-point home inspection and a whole home inspection. To start with, as the name suggests, a 4-point home inspection covers four different areas of a house.

The four points usually covered under a 4-point house inspection are HVAC, roofing, plumbing, and electrical system. The home inspector has the option to note the type, age, material, and condition of each of these areas.

Typically, your home insurer will opt for a 4-point home inspection report. Therefore, the inspector will not check out other areas of the house under this inspection. Nor will the inspector offer mitigation strategies to deal with the identified issues.

Instead, the inspectors will only point out if the areas mentioned above comprise materials known to be dangerous. After all, the insurer is only interested to know whether the house is too large a liability or not. Thus, a 4-point home inspection will not necessarily calltol whether the condition of interior paint is terrible or not. But, it will point out if the electrical system comprises inflammable material.

So, if you are looking for a thorough inspection of a property before purchasing it, it is good to say that a 4-point house inspection will not suffice. But, do not worry! You can serve your purpose by opting for a full home inspection instead. To know how? Read on.

Full Home Inspection

Unlike a 4-point house inspection, a whole home inspection covers more. It is an inspection that most buyers opt for before purchasing a property. Therefore, it is also called a buyer’s inspection. It is more comprehensive and singles out most of the issues in a home.

The areas covered under an entire home inspection are- exterior, appliances, interiors, drainage and grading, electrical system, roofing, plumbing, HVAC, windows, doors, etc.

Therefore, opting for a comprehensive home inspection seems better, especially before property purchases. This is because you are allowed by the law to opt for a full-home review during the contract period.

And if the inspection uncovers something that you aren’t comfortable with, you can get back your earnest money after declaring the contract to be void.

The Need for Both

By now, you might be wondering whether we at all need the 4-point home inspection. This doubt can crop up, especially in light of the comprehensive coverage of the whole home inspection. But there is a definite benefit of the 4-point home inspection, especially for the home insurers.

This inspection informs your insurance provider about the condition of your house. Therefore, the report helps them to assess the degree of liability of your property. In accessing the report, they are looking for specific information.

So, instead of a comprehensive report, a more focused one that sheds light on what they care about most is the need of the hour. A 4-point house inspection can fulfil this requirement and thus save you thousands on insurance premiums.

Recommended Read: What Is a 4 Point Inspection and When Is It Needed?

Bottom line

Thus, both 4-point home inspection and complete home inspection have their purpose. So, you should ideally get both comprehensive home inspection and a 4-point house inspection done.

Although there is some overlap in the scope of the reports, they serve different purposes. The 4-point inspection report offers valuable information about insurability. The comprehensive report guides your purchasing decision.

And your search for a reliable company to take care of all your inspection needs can terminate with the Home Inspection Group. We have several years of experience and have worked with most major home insurers. So, we can tailor-make your reports to give you the best result.

Get in touch to know more about what we can do, or schedule a home inspection now!