Barbara Sondgerath

859-630-3696

Working hard to make it easy for you!

from Buying, Selling, and Owning Your Home

Beauty is Only Skin Deep
Contract Contingency
Qualifications
Get It In Writing

Beauty is Only Skin Deep
The expression, "Beauty is only skin deep," is especially true of houses.  A fresh coat of paint or new carpeting may disguise serious flaws that can turn your dream into a nightmare on Elm Street.  One way to find out about possible defects is by having a house inspected. 

This doens not mean asking your "handy" uncle over to tour the house with a tape measure and screwdriver.  It does mean hiring a professional inspector to survey all parts of the house, including the  structure, roof, exterior, the major systems (electrical, heating, cooling, and ventilation), and appliances that will stay.  The inspector may spot existing as well as potential problems, and will suggest  remedies.

Back to Top

Contract Contingency
You can build an inspection contingency into the Purchase and Sale Agreement.  (Several states now mandate seller disclosure of defects.)  Ideally this should be a blanket clause that requires the seller to make legitimate repairs, or if the seller is unwilling to do this, would allow you to cancel the contract.

If the inspection does turn up some flaws, a seller often is willing to make necessary repairs or adjust the price.  Or he or she may refuse.  It all depends upon how much effort, or cash, both parties are  willing to spend.  If this is the home you've been waiting for, try using a little tact with the seller.

On the other hand, some sellers may institute their own inspections, which can be an incentive to a buyer.  After all, it saves you time and money, and says something about the assurances the seller is willing  to make.

Even so, there are advantages to conducting your own inspection.  You'll have the opportunity to tour the house with the inspector who can point our possible trouble or tell you how to avoid it.  And though the seller's inspection may certify the house trouble-free with only minor flaws, those flaws may be important to you.

Back to Top

Qualifications
Though an inspection takes only a couple of hours and may cost a few hundred dollars, it is important to make sure the inspector is qualified.  Your real estate agent can recommend some, and you should ask for references from other homeowners, too.  When hiring an inspector, determine ahead of time what it is that the inspector is going to do.  Often, they only  look for significant problems.  Few, if any, for example, will check every electrial outlet to see if it works.

Besides the basic home inspection, you may conduct an adjunct inspection for pests, such as termites or rodents and the like, and one for environmental concerns.  This inspection checks for possible contaminants  such as radon, lead paint, or asbestos.

Back to Top

Get It In Writing
Finally, make sure that a comprehensive inspection report is in writing.  Although you wisely will take lots of notes while you tour the house with the inspector, the official report will serve as the contingent document in any deviation from your contract.

Don't think of the inspection report as a weapon to be used against the seller.  If flaws are trivial, consider fixing them yourself in order to move forward with the sale.  If  there are major problems, use the report as an aid that will allow the seller to remedy the situation, or void the contract.

Back to Top