A necessary part and the lowest point of every Arlington rest estate transaction is home inspection. Buyers and sellers worry about it – what will be found? Will it kill the deal? Will the buyer be reasonable? Will the seller be reasonable? And when you throw in some confusing home repair jargon – it can really spin out of control.
So what do you do?
1. Expect that there will be something. There is no perfect house – not even a new home. There will be issues that will need to be addressed. I always ask my Arlington home sellers to budget from $1,000 up for home repair items and if it’s an older home – it can be a few thousand.
2. Hire a highly recommended inspector who can give you a clear report – ideally with photos and thorough explanations. The better you can understand the issue – the easier it will be to resolve it. Here is an excerpt from a recent home inspection report: “Kraft paper facing is combustible – gas vent requires 1 inch clearance to combustibles – a collar needs to be installed” Hah?! Would you know how severe this issue is?
3. Expect to compromise. Big ticket items definitely need to be resolved, but please don’t kill the deal nickel and diming the seller. I think agreeing to some credit towards small items is a great way to resolve them. I actually love credit for home inspection items – big and small – sellers love knowing the total amount and absence of responsibility after settlement and buyers love to have control over who does the repairs and how they are going to get done. How do you get these amounts? You get estimates.
There is definitely a lot more to home inspections and they are never easy, but if you keep your expectations in check – it will be an easier pill to swallow.
If you need a great home inspector – please ask!