An important part of the home buying process is having a professional
home inspection. Even homes listed “as is” should have an inspection if
only to understand what “as is” means. A comprehensive home inspection
will examine all major systems, such as heating, cooling, electrical, and
plumbing. The inspector will also look for signs of water intrusion and check
the roof for leads or wear and tear.
Once the inspection is complete, the home buyer will receive a copy of the
findings for review. Often buyers are shocked at the number of issues
uncovered and may even wonder if they should walk away. Most of the
time, this is unnecessary; even the best maintained home will have plenty
of things to review, most of which are more a “honey do” list than a deal
breaker.
So, what are the deal breakers? For anyone considering a major remodel,
there may not be any deal breakers on the list. Those who have stretched
to buy the house, may not have the available resources to make any
significant repairs and will want to negotiate as much as possible.
Most agents agree that the main thing to focus on is the fire, health, and
safety sections, missing fire flues or smoke detectors, and unsafe electrical
hazards or firewall breaches. Also check for evidence of foundation cracks,
water intrusion, and roof leaks. Before accepting any cash credit, one
should get a few estimates from repair contractors to ensure the dollar
figure offered is sufficient.
Most home inspections create a list of deferred maintenance and minor
repairs. Working with their agent, a home buyer can narrow the list of
requests to the essentials and tackle the others once they move in.
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