Home Buyers, Here's How the Advanced Structural Assessment Can Help You

An Advanced Structural Assessment is a high level structural evaluation of residential property typically done as an add-on to a standard home inspection. In addition to a visual assessment of the house structure, the trained and certified ASA technician will also take a variety of measurements and collect additional detailed structural data that is reviewed by an ASA Engineering Group structural engineer who provides a stamped letter within a few business days. ASAs are designed to give buyers a better understanding of the house structure than is possible during a routine home inspection. During a routine home inspection, your inspector will make limited visual observations about the house structure, and will not take structural measurements. When defects are found, they are not able to render a structural opinion and will refer you to an engineer. This causes delays and uncertainty. Also, it's important to understand that a visual inspection alone is not enough to identify some of the most expensive structural problems. This is because in many houses most of the structure is concealed by drywall and not visible. If you can't see a defect then how do you know it's there? The missing part of the assessment is that detailed measurements of the house structure can often uncover a condition that would not be found under normal inspection practices. By adding the Advanced Structural Assessment to your home inspection, you are better positioned to protect yourself from costly structural issues.