One aspect of the home buying process that may be overlooked is the Home Inspection. Recently I had a home inspector discover this issue. The wall behind the home had separated and appeared to be in danger of falling into the backyard neighbors yard. This would have resulted in several thousand dollars in repairs. I have used A to Z Home inspections for a lot of real estate transactions, and have been impressed with the thorough manner in which they inspect homes. Because this deficiency was discovered before the due diligence deadline we were able to negotiate with the seller prior to the closing. Imagine what may have happened if the buyer hadn’t discovered the problem until after closing. They may not have had any recourse. At very least, their options would have been much more difficult, and much more expensive.
Home Inspection and Home Warranty
A good home inspection can save a lot of grief and uncertainty for the buyer. Like anything, when someone does something regularly, they develop an eye, an instinct if you will, for potential problems. The ideal situation for a home buyer is to follow a home inspection up with a home warranty. If the home inspector misses something the warranty will more than likely cover it. It is my belief that during the first year of the home warranty, the new home owner will have a feel for potential issues with their new house. With the cost of a home warranty less than $500 it is almost foolish not to consider purchasing one. When I represent a buyer I always ask for a home warranty to be included and paid for by the seller. If the seller doesn’t want to pay for the warranty I still encourage the buyers to purchase one.
Ideal Listing
The ideal listing scenario would have the sellers complete a home inspection and correct any deficiencies found prior to listing. This simple and relatively inexpensive procedure can reduce potential problems that may occur during the buyers due diligence and home inspection period. If a buyer puts an offer on a home and then finds issues that need to be fixed, the seller is almost compelled to fix them. If the buyer walks away from the deal, the seller then has to disclose the issues that were found to the next buyer. This validates the thought that heading any problems off, is a much better way to do business. The cost of removing a home from the market and then putting it back on the market is very difficult to measure. In addition to the ideal seller conducting a home inspection, and remediating problems, including a home warranty is also a great idea. If a seller will take these two simple steps their home selling procedure will proceed much more smoothly.
This blog post was shared by Kevin Richey.
View Kevin’s website HERE.