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, a 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 for various systems and components,
and minor imperfections. These are useful to know about. However, the issues that
really matter will fall into four categories:
- major defects. An example of this would be a structural failure;
- things that lead to major defects, such as a small roof-flashing leak, for example;
- things that may hinder your ability to finance, legally occupy, or insure the
home; and
- safety hazards, such as an exposed, live buss bar at the electrical 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.
###
The above is an excerpt from Sell Your Home For More by Nick Gromicko. Copyright (C) 1997 Nick Gromicko
All my fellow InterNACHI Members may use this and other InterNACHI articles royalty-free and need not credit the author. Add it to your brochure and website! All my fellow REALTORs may copy, reprint and use this article as you like. It makes a great
addition to your buyers' packets.
