Your Upcoming Home Inspection

Below are some tips and information to help you through the next step.

Before the General Home Inspection

We recommend you wait to perform any type of specialized inspections (for example, radon, sewer, structural, etc.) until after your general home inspection is done in case you decide to back out of the purchase.

Scope of Inspection Review

• According to paragraph 12 of the contract, you can request repairs for major components that are defective, that is, the item doesn’t work or causes a threat to health and safety.
• Per the contract, you cannot request repairs for minor or cosmetic issues or for systems/appliances that are old and at the end of their life span.  In other words, if the systems or appliances work according to the inspector, then you cannot request repairs or replacement.  
• If a system/appliance is old, then you may consider requesting a home warranty from the seller(s), or you can order a warranty on your own at or after the closing.

Inspection Process with your Home Inspector

• While you are at the property with your home inspector, pay attention to what the inspector identifies as a major defect and serious potential problems.
• Make your own rough list during the inspection of the issues that are most important to you.
• Ask the home inspector for an approximate estimate of the cost to repair the major defect or think about whether you want to hire a licensed professional to provide a more detailed and specific quote.

After the inspection you have a few options

1. Ask the seller for a credit toward your closing costs
2. Ask the seller to reduce the sales price to make up for the repairs
3. Ask the seller to make the repairs
4. Back out of the purchase 
5. Move forward with the purchase without requesting any repairs, a price reduction, or a credit

Inspection Review Process

• Please forward to your attorney the inspection report when you receive it from the home inspector along with a list of the major defects that concern you, if any.
• Your attorney will then draft an inspection review letter.  The purpose of the letter is to request repairs, a closing cost credit, a price reduction, or a combination of all three for major defects only.
• We encourage you to request a closing cost credit or a price reduction instead of repairs, if applicable, because, in general, sellers either will not do a satisfactory job of repairing the defect or will not repair the defect at all and you won’t find out until the final walk-through, which causes major problems right before the closing.
• After the closing cost credit is agreed upon between the seller(s) and you, if applicable, then your attorney will prepare an amendment for the parties to sign and then send it to your lender.
• We recommend you not order and pay for an appraisal until after a final agreement has been reached with the seller. 

 Please let us know if you have any questions.