Welcome to our website!
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:
Major defects. An example of this would be a structural failure.
Things that lead to major defects. A small roof-flashing leak, for example.
Things that may hinder your ability
to finance, legally occupy or insure the home.
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.
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.
