The Home Inspection Process

The home inspections are typically paid for by the home buyer - although you can have a pre-inspection done to make sure to catch any issues you are not aware of.

Prior to inspections, make sure all your systems are on as to not delay the process. This includes gas and water. Also, make sure that the electrical box and pipes under the sink can be accessed by the home inspector.

Miscellaneous inspections will likely take place after the General Home Inspection, and these would also be scheduled with you.

A typical inspection can last anywhere from 1.5 to 4 hours, depending on the scope of the inspection and the size of your house. More often than not, the buyers will attend the home inspection. You'll want to keep your pets secured during the inspections and the final walk-through.

The buyer will gather their reports together, and then they should send you a written request of repairs/ questions that they have. Many times they will include the inspection report along side the request.

Once that's in hand, see if there are things you would consider addressing, whether you'd rather give them money in lieu of repairs, and address items you won’t take care of.

Dealing With Repair Requests

Even though the contract might say "as-is", most home buyers will still hire a licensed home inspector to conduct structural, mechanical, termite, radon, and other types of inspections prior to closing on their new home. This should be completed during the "due diligence" period of the contract.

The buyers may ask you to take care of a few outstanding items, many of which you may have no idea existed. Most homeowners are not conducting an inspection in their crawl space or on their roofs or in their attics, and things generally will show up that aren't quite right.

You may feel inclined to address some (or none) of the issues, and others you may want to get a few written estimates on to see what the cost would be should you decide to offset the items in question, and let the buyer fix them once they own the home.

If you agree to do anything, make sure it is in writing and that all parties sign and date the agreement.

Home Condition: Excellent. Under Contract at $750,000:Problem: The Master Bathroom shower had a leak behind the shower seat. Water traveled behind the shower seat, down the stair well, all the way to the basement. This resulted in damaged hardwood floors on the 2nd level, the stairwell as well as damaged drywall from the 2nd level, down to the basement. Repairs including tearing out and replacing the shower tile, giant blowers to dry the damage, mold retardant applied, new paint, and approval of new tile choices and job completion from the buyer and their agent.

Home Condition: Excellent. While Under Contract at $840,000: The Problem: The Master Bathroom Jacuzzi jet leaked behind the tub, down the wall, covering the garage ceiling and walls with water. Repairs including removing the jacuzzi, replacing it with a modern tub - tearing out and replacing the bathroom wall tile, giant blowers to dry the damage, mold retardant applied, new paint, and approval of new tile choices and job completion from the buyer and their agent.

For each of these sales, the buyer's agent and I (the seller's agent) held these contracts together and on track. I kept each of the buyer's agents engaged throughout each process as my client's and I gathered contractors, estimates, and had the work completed. Meanwhile, the buyer's agents kept their client's informed on each step taking place as the damage was repaired. Both incidents took place within a few weeks of closing. Both closed as scheduled.

As the seller's Realtor, it helps to have a solid list of list of top-notch professionals that will go the extra mile. We have such a list. It includes electricians, plumbers, designers, tile workers, painters and experts in just about every field imaginable.

The worst incident we've help our clients get through is one that involved arson. Our clients were in New York on a weekend visit when the Fire Department called. This was at 9:00 on a Friday night. I ran over to meet with the firemen. There were 4 trucks, they had busted through the roof, smoke was billowing out and the house was getting doused with water. As their home was under contract, this involved a buyer's agent, and buyers. For this situation, the house required a bit of help from a broad range of people, including the Fire and Police Department, smoke and water remediation companies, attorneys (as a lawsuit came forth from the buyer), the seller's insurance company, home builder, and a home designer. The seller was starting their new job up north, so they flew down intermittently through the rebuilding process. This property was rebuilt from the ground up, and we sold it to a new buyer for a $1oo,000 more. This process took over a year to complete. I worked as their boots on the ground from start to finish as they relocated to Connecticut. I can go on and on with homes that have incurred an incident while under contract, and how the other agent and our team managed to keep the deal together all the way through closing Our goal is to handle all situations efficiently, effectively, and legally, so no lawsuit follows you after any such incident. In our world, a buyer wants to buy, and a seller wants to sell, and when the two are able to make that happen, it's a beautiful thing.

As your Realtors, we will work as your trusted advocate from morning to night. There is no on-the-job training when you hire a member of our team. If you are ready to start on your next move, we'd love to speak with you today!