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DIY Home Inspection

Inspecting your own property for any damages makes it easier to notice when things go wrong.

Hopefully your home never experiences any damages and you never have to file a claim with your insurance company. However, if something happens and you need to call your carrier, they may ask for proof that these damages are new. For most homeowners, this is the equivalent of Amazon asking for proof that you never received your delivery. How do you even go about proving that? Are you supposed to take a picture of the box that was never shipped to you? Proof is basically impossible in that situation.

But there's a key difference between Amazon and your insurance company: Amazon understands that the burden of proof is on the seller, not the buyer. Your insurance company, on the other hand, may use this lack of proof against you to deny your claim, saying that your damages might have been pre-existing.

The big problem is that some insurance companies will intentionally state that your damages are pre-existing because you can't prove that your burst pipe or roof leak wasn't there before! Carriers know that homeowners and business owners don't take pictures of their property until disaster strikes, and they have a financial incentive to use that knowledge against you.

The solution is a home inspection.

No, not an official home inspection! Those are important, but they can cost a lot of money and aren't necessary for proving that your property is in good condition. We're talking about a DIY home inspection.

You want to inspect your own home for any visible pre-existing damages before you experience a loss to your property. Checking for and documenting everything up front makes it easier to find anything in your home in need of repair. And it provides evidence that any damages you incur from a hurricane, fire, pipe burst, or any other disaster are new in the event you need to file an insurance claim.

This could save you months of stress and thousands of dollars if your insurance company tries to wrongfully deny or undervalue your claim. It also makes it easier to determine the exact nature of your damages, streamlining the process of getting your property back to pre-loss condition.

"A yearly inspection creates an irrefutable record of the condition of your home."

Doing this before damages occur will also reduce your stress levels immediately after the loss. All damages to your property can be incredibly stressful and negatively affect your quality of life. Having this one thing already done in advance means one less thing to worry about while you're trying to get your life back to normal, and knowing exactly what your damages are will make it easier to communicate with contractors and your insurance company even if you're not in the best frame of mind.

Your DIY home inspection shouldn't take very long if you do it properly. It took me less than an hour to document my entire property. Depending on the size of your home, this should take you anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes.

Start outside.

The simplest way to document your property is with pictures or videos. Start on the outside of your home and take pictures of every side of your house, every door, all windows that you can easily access, and any other exterior structures. Fencing, swimming pools, screen enclosures, playgrounds, detached garages, storage sheds, anything on your property.

Ask yourself some questions as you go:

  • Is your front door askew or damaged?

  • Are any windows cracked or separated from the walls?

  • Do you have dents in your garage door(s)?

  • Are there any major chips or cracks in your stucco?

  • Has any fence paneling fallen off?

  • Do you have torn screens for your windows or patio?

  • Is your storage shed in good condition, or have the elements taken a toll?

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Next up is the roof. Do NOT go on your roof if you don't feel safe or comfortable doing so! It's on a slope and it's quite a fall if you aren't careful. If your roof is older, it may be less safe to walk on. If it's tile, it's harder to keep your footing, and an untrained foot could easily crack multiple tiles by accident. You can always ask somebody who's willing to walk on your roof to go up and take pictures if you can't.

Get plenty of overview shots, keep an eye out for cracked or loose tiles, and make sure to take pictures of any prior repairs.

End with the interior.

Finally, do a tour of the inside of your home. Go room by room and take pictures of each one. Try to make sure that your pictures show every bit of ceiling and wall square footage. Prove that your property doesn't have any major visible damages. If there are any prior damages, take close-up shots of those.

This doesn't just help with your insurance company.

The most important reason behind the DIY home inspection is to protect yourself from your insurance company in the event disaster strikes your property. It's vital to be proactive in preventing your carrier from issuing a wrongfully denied claim.

But this inspection has other perks! For one thing, your inspection will help guide you on what work may need to be done around your home. Maybe you actually found pre-existing damage to your property during your DIY home inspection that should be repaired ASAP, damage that you might not have noticed without inspecting your property.

This will also make it significantly easier to work with contractors after new damages pop up. If your neighborhood gets hit by a hurricane, you can show your roofer and water remediation contractor a before-and-after so there's no question about what work needs to be done.

Tip - Inspect your property every year.

You should do a DIY home inspection yearly to keep it up to date. A yearly photo and video inspection creates an irrefutable record of the condition of your home.

Updating this annually means that any losses that occur will be backed up by recent photo and video documentation. It also means that the other benefits of your inspection are strengthened as well.

Don't delete the pictures and video you took of your previous DIY home inspections! Keeping your pictures for several years turns your inspections into a historical record, which is a very powerful tool for protecting yourself and your property. (Just make sure that you separate each inspection into different folders, or label each picture with the date it was taken. You don't want to mix up pictures from different inspections.)

Just do it!

This may be optional, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. A DIY home inspection is an easy and free way to protect everything within your home and increase your quality of life.