The Kitchen is the Heart of the Home

What Home Inspectors Look For To Keep Your Heart Healthy

For Tennesseans, the kitchen is the heart of the home, the place where families and friends come together to share and break bread. The kitchen is also considered one of the top selling points for a home, and a key focus for buyers in almost every real estate transaction. The investments we make to our kitchen in repairs and upgrades typically yield us our highest return on investment. 

The kitchen is also one of the hot spots in our home most vulnerable to property damage, and the reason home inspectors are such critical partners for home buyers in middle Tennessee.

Home Inspections of the Kitchen

Home inspectors provide buyers with the assurance that the house they want to purchase is functional and safe. When it comes to the kitchen, home inspectors provide a professional opinion of the quality and performance of the functional systems in the kitchen. They also help buyers identify any components that are significantly deficient, unsafe or near the end of their life. This is critical to a home buyer so they understand any additional investments they will need to make to properly repair and maintain the heart of their new home. 

Water Damage

Significant damage can occur in the kitchen from a wide range of plumbing problems, including malfunctions and leaks from: dishwashers, refrigerator water lines, kitchen sinks, faucets and garbage disposals.

Home inspectors examine these systems and look for tell-tell signs of partial clogs, water leaks, deficiencies in performance, and appliances that may be at the end of their life. This gives buyers peace of mind that their kitchen will function properly without additional out-of-pocket expense in the near future.

Mold Damage

Kitchens are highly susceptible to mold growth after any type of water damage occurrence. Signs of mold growth are also commonly found when a seller or house flipper doesn’t properly remediate water damage. Dangerous mold growth often starts behind cabinets and below the surface and gets out of control before its detected.

Home inspectors often find signs of early mold growth when inspecting the functional systems in a kitchen. This is critical to avoid out-of-pocket expense for repairs and costly mold remediation down the road. It also protects the health of your family and friends, from health hazards caused by mold, who will gather for meals and fellowship in your future kitchen.

Fire Damage

Fires occur in the kitchen more than any other room in the house. A kitchen fire can cause devastating damage, resulting from faulty electrical or gas lines, and older appliances. Even small grease fires can cause damage to electrical wires and appliances that often go undetected.

Home inspectors are trained to look for problems with electrical wiring, electrical systems and gas appliances in the kitchen. They examine appliances for signs of previous damage and wear and tear. A home inspector can provide you with peace of mind that the new heart of your home is a safe place, and ready for use.

Let J&J Make Sure Your New Home’s Heart is Healthy

The kitchen can be the most expensive room in our home to repair. An average kitchen can cost between $5,000 and $150,000 for replacements and water, mold or fire damage restoration. When you’re buying a new home, its critical you know what shape your kitchen is in and whether or not you will need to come out-of-pocket in the near future for repairs from wear and tear or previous damage. 

The home inspectors of J & J Home Inspections have been trained in industry standards for general construction, and certified as home inspection experts. We are also Tennesseans who work and live in our communities around Nashville. Our focus is to provide services to make you feel comfortable buying in our area. We also want to ensure our area homes, and their kitchens, get the maintenance and care they need to stay healthy for many generations to come.

Whether you are buying or selling a home, need a re-inspection to ensure repairs were completed, or require a specialty service, select a home inspector to represent your interests that is invested in our community.

Fill out one of our forms for home inspections in Nashville, Franklin, Brentwood, or Hendersonville, or give us a call at 615-915-8480 and we can meet you in-person within just a few minutes!