Welcome home, home inspections.

Are home inspections all they’re cracked up to be? The simple answer is a big 'YES'.

​Now that we are finally out of the pandemic panic market – home inspections are once again a common part of the conditions in a contract. No Realtor likes to waive an inspection, but during the COVID inventory crisis – home inspections were unfortunately a luxury clause.
 
FACTS:  A home doesn’t pass or fail an inspection, and no home is perfect. There will always be improvements recommended in an inspection report. That is to be expected. Also, an inspection is not an insurance policy that nothing will go wrong – it’s an overview that helps create a to-do list of maintenance items you otherwise may not spot. Is that crack in the plaster a cosmetic fix, or a structural nightmare? Is that damp spot in the basement a leaky pipe, or a leaky foundation?
 
I encourage my clients to not only write a home inspection into their offer, but also to participate in their home inspection by asking questions. Better to ask now than get a surprise later! A trusted, experienced home inspector will have experience-based answers. I also prepare my clients for the report, reminding them that there WILL be improvements recommended – even in new builds. 
 
Together, we review the report’s summary items and discuss each deficiency with respect to cost relative to the overall age and value of the home. Do these deficiencies seem reasonable based on age and what we have paid? Will we find these same issues in another home of similar age and value – or is this a deal breaker?

Shows like Fixer Upper and Masters of Flip (that ironically ended in divorce after numerous renovations) glamourize what can go wrong if you go ahead without a home inspection. All it takes is 30 minutes to transform a tear down into a show home – and unless you're Chip Gaines, you don't want to discover rotten beams... or worse. 
 
Deals often fall on inspection, but they don’t have to. If the home you have an accepted offer on is truly your dream home – it all comes down to dollars… and sense. That’s always where a Realtor comes in.

Meghan