What Really Matters

Buying a home? The process can be stressful. A home inspection is supposed to give you peace of mind, but often has the opposite effect. You will be asked to absorb a lot of information in a short time. This often includes a written report, checklist, photographs, environmental reports and what the inspector himself says during the inspection. All this combined with the seller's disclosure and what you notice yourself makes the experience even more overwhelming. What should you do?

Relax. Most of your inspection will be maintenance recommendations, life expectancies and minor imperfections. These are nice to know about. However, the issues that really matter will fall into four categories:

1. Major defects. An example of this would be a structural failure.
2. Things that lead to major defects. A small roof-flashing leak, for example.
3. Things that may hinder your ability to finance, legally occupy or insure the home.
4. Safety hazards, such as an exposed, live buss bar at the electric panel.

Anything in these categories should be addressed. Often a serious problem can be corrected inexpensively to protect both life and property (especially in categories 2 and 4).

Most sellers are honest and are often surprised to learn of defects uncovered during an inspection. Realize that sellers are under no obligation to repair everything mentioned in the report. No home is perfect. Keep things in perspective. Do not kill your deal over things that do not matter. It is inappropriate to demand that a seller address deferred maintenance, conditions already listed on the seller's disclosure or nit-picky items.

Pre-Listing Inspections

Eventually your buyers are going to conduct an inspection. You may as well know what they are going to find by getting there first. Having an inspection performed ahead of time helps in many other ways:

1. The seller can choose a certified InterNACHI inspector rather than be at the mercy of the buyer's choice of inspector.
2. The seller can schedule the inspections at the seller's convenience.
3. It might alert the seller of any items of immediate personal concern, such as radon gas or active termite infestation.
4. The seller can assist the inspector during the inspection, something normally not done during a buyer's inspection.
5. The seller can have the inspector correct any misstatements in the inspection report before it is generated.
6. The report can help the seller realistically price the home if problems exist.
7. The report can help the seller substantiate a higher asking price if problems don't exist or have been corrected.
8. A seller inspection reveals problems ahead of time which:
   1. might make the home show better.
   2. gives the seller time to make repairs and shop for competitive contractors.
   3. permits the seller to attach repair estimates or paid invoices to the inspection report.
   4. removes over-inflated buyer procured estimates from the negotiation table.
9. The report might alert the seller to any immediate safety issues found, before agents and visitors tour the home.
10. The report provides a third-party, unbiased opinion to offer to potential buyers.
11. A seller inspection permits a clean home inspection report to be used as a marketing tool.
12. A seller inspection is the ultimate gesture in forthrightness on the part of the seller.
13. The report might relieve a prospective buyer's unfounded suspicions, before they walk away.
14. A seller inspection lightens negotiations and 11th-hour renegotiations.
15. The report might encourage the buyer to waive the inspection contingency.
16. The deal is less likely to fall apart the way they often do when a buyer's inspection unexpectedly reveals a problem, last minute.
17. The report provides full-disclosure protection from future legal claims.

Copies of the inspection report along with receipts for any repairs should be made available to potential buyers.

Contact me to schedule a pre-listing inspection today.

Contact Me

Call me at 614-634-1691