Negotiating

Using the Information in Your Home Inspection Report

You now have a better picture of the home you are buying and its condition. The report’s findings may have been worse than you thought they would be, problems you did not know about seem to have taken on a life of their own, and you are not sure what the next move is.

1. Make a list of the problems noted in the report that you would like to have addressed. Your Realtor may inform you that certain problems on your list will be hard to convince the seller to repair.
2. The offer you made to buy the home subject to a Home Inspection, by a professional Home Inspector holds the seller responsible to make good only those defects in the home that relate to habitability or safety.
3. There are instances in the report where it is noted that an item needs immediate repair or replacement, the item in question should be repaired but it may not be something that you can go back to the seller to repair because it is not a defect and does not relate to habitability or safety. In most cases these would be smaller items that would be considered routine maintenance.
4. The list of repairs you want carried by the property owner must be given to your Realtor.
5. Your Realtor must get this list known as a post inspection agreement back to the sellers Realtor within the time frame allowed for the inspection.
6. The post inspection addendum is in essence a counter offer that you make to the seller asking for certain items to be repaired or replaced before you buy the home. Remember the document you signed when you made your offer, (the pre-inspection agreement) it did not give you the right to have the home rebuilt.
7. We recommend that you insist that a contractor or a licensed professional completes any repairs required in the post inspection agreement. Before closing you should return to the home and verify that all the repair work has been done. Receipts for the completed work should be given to you, proving that the work has been professionally completed.

After the Inspection we are here to help you and your Realtor if you have any difficulty in understanding or interpreting the inspection report. If you need to us we are only a phone call away and more than happy to do anything that will help you.

Bottom Line, if the problems are of a serious nature and affect the habitability of the home or the safety of your family and the sellers refuse to do anything about them or make concessions, you have the right to break the contract. This will be a hard decision for you to make, particularly when you realize how much money you have invested in the various inspections and fees.

Remember… it is much better to find out about the home before you buy it ! If there is anything you want the seller to repair or replace as a result of the home inspection, a Post Inspection Agreement will need to be completed by you or your real estate agent.

Do a final walk through of the property the day before closing to make sure that the home is in the condition that it is supposed to be in, and that any appliances or fixtures that are included in the sale are still there.
All trash along with unused paint and any chemicals or car tires should have been removed by the owner at this time.

If there is any problem that has been left unresolved or incorrectly repaired, the walk through will be your last opportunity to rectify the situation before you own the home.

Our Web site’s Technical/FAQ

This section is available with information to help you better understand the Inspection report as well as helping you with your home’s maintenance and your family’s safety.