Relocation Archives - Home Inspections by US Inspect

Preparing for Your Relocation Property Assessment

US Inspect is pleased to deliver property assessment services on behalf of your employer. The purpose of this document is to describe how you should prepare your home in advance of the assessment and what to expect during and after the inspection.

Property Assessment – The Basics

A Relocation Property Assessment (RPA) is based on property assessment guidelines established by the Worldwide Employee Relocation Council (WERC) and the inspector’s professional opinion of the “as is” condition of a dwelling and immediate surrounding areas on the date of the assessment. The Property Assessment is limited further based on your employer’s specific inspection policies. It does not include cosmetic items or other items that a retail home inspection might include.

Your employer may also ask that not all items be noted in the report and some recommendations for repairs may not be required to be addressed by your employer. Because the inspector does not know the specific criteria of your employer, some comments made by the inspector during the inspection may not be part of the finished assessment report.

Preparing for Your Inspection – Getting Your House Ready

Because we are guests in your home and respect your property, we will not move stored items or furniture and, due to liability concerns, we will not ask you or any person granting access to the home to move items.

In order for our assessment to be complete, certain components and areas of the home must be accessible to the inspector. Therefore, before our inspector’s arrival, please ensure access to all areas of the home, especially:

Heating and AC units, interior air handlers and outdoor compressors
Electrical panels
Attic and crawl space entrances
Structural components (e.g., walls, columns, beams, etc.) in attic, garage and basements
Cars/other large items in garage should be relocated to driveway before inspection

Your advance preparation limits the need for re-assessments of inaccessible areas, which may result in delays and additional costs to your employer.

Areas which are inaccessible due to home’s design (e.g., cathedral ceilings) or which are inaccessible due to weather conditions (e.g., snow/ice) will be noted in our assessment report with no specific action required.

Your Consultant will provide further direction upon review of the assessment results with you.

The Big Day – Our On-Site Assessment

Our assessment is performed for your employer as the potential buyer of your property. It is for this reason that your employer requests that our inspector not discuss assessment results with you during the on-site visit. Since the inspector does not know the specific scope your employer has arranged, he may give you information that is not included in the finished report. Please refrain from asking our inspector questions during the assessment so that he can honor your employer’s request and reduce confusion when the report is delivered. Please direct all inquiries to your Relocation Consultant.

Our inspector will introduce himself to you and let you know how he plans to perform the inspection. The inspector will view and photograph accessible areas of the interior and exterior of dwelling; please alert our inspector about items or areas you do not want photographed.

Our inspector will randomly test outlets, switches and windows. The inspector will not unplug TVs, alarm clocks or refrigerators; in the course of testing switches or GFCI outlets, the inspector may inadvertently power off such items. If an appliance is connected to a switch or GFCI outlet that you do not want turned off, please mark the switch or outlet with a note or alert the inspector.

If your children are sleeping or you have rooms that you do not want our inspector to enter for any reason, please alert the inspector. If you have a pet, please inform our inspector to help keep your pet and our inspector safe.

Assessment Report – Next Steps

After the on-site inspection, inspectors send data and photos to US Inspect for quality review and production of the customized report. After US Inspect has delivered the report, your Relocation Consultant will review the report to determine all actions required, including necessary repairs, additional inspections, and/or documentation requirements outlined in your employer’s policies. Your Relocation Consultant will provide you with copies of final reports and review reports with you to outline next steps.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your Relocation Consultant.

This is a general overview of steps which may occur in the course of a property assessment; because every home is different, there may be variations from the information outlined above.