Back in Rome in 35 BC it was all about “caveat emptor “ as Julius Caesar would have counseled his friends when buying a house off the Via Apia! In fact up till the early 1990’s it was the same in Dayton until the first Home Inspection company appeared in the Yellow Pages and gave people the opportunity to find out about the house they were buying.
Real Estate agents used to the old adage of Caveat Emptor, “Buyer Beware” or in other words, you buy it “as is” with all its undisclosed problems and no recourse, did not rush to welcome the new hurdle to selling even the worse house to some unsuspecting client, while saying “it just needs a little work”.
Home inspections, have come a long way since the early 90’s, those two hour, ten page hand written reports a thing of the past. Today’s inspections are in depth, full of detail, photos and take from three to six hours or more depending on house size. Today’s best Real Estate agents want their clients (often their friends) to be informed about what they are buying.
The cost of an average inspection is approximately one quarter of one percent of the cost of buying a home, way less than the cost of replacing a water heater, much less than the cost of replacing the electric panel.
There is no builder who would put this sign up at the entrance to their new sub division in this day and age when Inspections are no longer just for older homes but for new construction as well.
Don’t join the exclusive Caveat Emptor club, don’t tempt your friends to become members. There is no benefit, just heartbreak and misery and a lot of expense in “Buyers Beware” as problems come to light and your Realtor says “I told you to get a professional Home Inspection “.
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