Anyone who has ever bought a home, sold a home or been involved in a real estate transaction knows that a home can look great on the surface….fresh paint, refinished hardwood floors, staged furniture…..BUT that’s not all you need to look at. What is important is what’s lurking inside the walls. Many homes are ‘flipped’ meaning the seller bought it at a distressed sale and basically gussied her up and sent her out to meet a new buyer. Not knowing the real story about the home’s condition is a mistake.
You need to select a good home inspector – someone who is licensed with a reputation for honesty and thoroughness. This helps ensure an inspection report that both buyer and seller can believe in. I will share with you an example of a listing I had where the buyers agent didn’t get too involved with the buyers selection of a home inspector. They went on Yelp and found someone with 5 stars and many reviews. This individual, while licensed, did not perform a quality inspection, provided no photos to the buyers or sellers of areas that were not in good condition and basically wasted everyone’s time. The number of reviews this inspector had and what the reviews said, after we looked him up, were suspicious. But there was a common thread – buyers were praising this inspector for helping them get out of a very scary situation. That is not the home inspectors job. The job of a home inspector is to be professional, show the buyer and seller the areas of concern, offer NO personal opinions of the house and provide a written report with photos. A home inspector shouldn’t create a ‘scary’ situation that makes everyone fearful and distrusting of their agent, buyers distrusting sellers, sellers distrusting buyers. That is a true waste of money and time.
Let’s say there are problems with the property – if you are buying a 40 plus year old home – there will be problems. This is where you need a good Realtor to help you navigate. Your agent should have a list of quality trades that will come out AND for FREE look at the areas where the home inspector indicated areas of concern. Once you have some idea of the severity, or not, of the issues called out in the inspection – you can ask for a credit toward those repairs or for the seller to correct them before the close of escrow. I tell my buyer clients to look for houses with good systems and good structure – things like electrical and plumbing being updated, sewer clean of roots and in good condition, roof in good condition, HVAC serviced – these are all super expensive to replace when you move in. I help my buyer find the better homes that are more maintained, so my buyers can spend their money on things they see every day, like updated appliances, a renovated bathroom, fresh paint, new flooring. Don’t spend it under the house on the sewer – not as much fun for you to come home to every day or invite your friends over and say, ‘Yep, my sewer is the best on the block’ verses showing off a beautiful kitchen.
We have an extensive listing of home inspectors and home inspection companies, complete with reviews, profiles and sample reports. You need home inspectors who understand our unique real estate market and know how to conduct a building inspection that meets the standards local buyers and sellers expect.
Call me for help! I am happy to give you some guidance…..