A home purchase can be exciting, especially for first-time buyers. The process can be very stressful and emotional. Buyers may not be familiar with all the details involved in buying a house. There is a lot to consider, including a lot more paperwork that they will need to sign and review. There are also inspections, such as the appraisal, termite inspection, chimney inspection and home inspection. Each inspection comes with its own agreement to sign and reports that you can read.
We can help ease some of the stress by conducting a home inspection as part of a purchase transaction. There are occasions when a home inspection may cause additional stress for a homebuyer after they move into their dream home.
Recent events have caused me unnecessary stress for a couple home buyers and their realtors. The realtor called me both times to inform me that their clients had not been happy with them. In situations like these, the realtor is always the first to call. They had discovered a problem in the house, and they called a contractor to have it fixed. According to the contractor, “Your home inspector should have seen this.”
After looking through the reports, I discovered that the defects were either mentioned in the home inspection report, with photos, or not included in our inspection. It only made the situation worse by telling the buyer that we couldn’t help them, as you can see. This was unnecessary stress that could easily have been avoided.
With this in mind, I have compiled a list with tips to help you avoid problems during your home inspection, avoid misunderstandings, and ensure that your transaction runs smoothly even after closing.
Before the Inspection
This is the question I get most often from homebuyers: What exactly is a Home Inspection? What is it? It is a valid question. I will spend a few moments explaining what a home inspection looks like and how it works. We also send a confirmation email to the buyer when we book an inspection. It includes additional information about the inspection procedure. This helps to set expectations for the buyer and makes the inspection process much easier.
Read the Home Inspection Agreement
It is here that most of the misunderstandings can be avoided, as I have already mentioned. The home inspection agreement outlines what inspections are covered by the Standards of Practice, and what is excluded. Although there are many documents you can review and sign during the homebuying process I strongly recommend that this document be thoroughly read before the inspection.
What the Home Inspection covers and what it doesn’t
A common misconception is that the home inspection does not cover all areas. Inspectors won’t remove furniture or appliances from the home to inspect behind and beneath. It leaves areas of the floors and walls uninspectable. The crawlspace entrance or attic is often located in a bedroom closet, which is usually filled with personal belongings and clothes. It is often impossible to get into crawlspaces because of this. “Why can’t it be moved?” We hear it all the time. We are responsible for the replacement of anything we break.
Home inspections are done to establish industry Standards of Practice. Although we often go beyond the standard of practice, the SOP outlines what we inspect and report on. It is a document that the buyer receives along with an inspection agreement. This gives them a clear view of the scope of inspection.
Participate in the Home Inspection
This should be obvious. It would surprise you to see how many people, both buyers and agents, don’t come to their home inspection. All parties can ask questions and view the inspector’s findings in person. The inspector can also discuss with the buyer any small or major problems and suggest possible solutions. Sometimes, even though it may seem bad on paper things can often be fixed quite easily. Everyone can feel calm after reading the report.
The entire report is available here
We usually give buyers and their agents a summary of the findings at the end of every home inspection. This summary is usually a brief five- to ten minute talk on the five main systems of the house: the roof, electrical system and plumbing. It also includes heating, air conditioning, air conditioning, and the foundation. Safety-related issues are also covered. The verbal summary is only that: a summary. It doesn’t cover all details of the home inspection. Agents and buyers often call me after receiving the report, saying that they didn’t hear about it during the home inspection.
We recommend that everyone take the time to read the whole report when it arrives. The summary of any defects is included at the beginning of the written report. However, there may be things in the body of a report that need to be reviewed, such as photos. The unfortunate situation I describe above could easily have been avoided. The report included a photo of the defect. The defect, a plumbing leak, was not repaired in the rush to close the deal and move into the house. When the buyer moved into the property, they discovered the leak.
Organise a conference call
Most often, questions are raised about the inspector’s findings after the report has been emailed to the buyers and their agents. We send an email to all parties suggesting that they set up a conference or zoom meeting to discuss the report within a day of the report being emailed. Unfortunately, not many people take up the offer. This is a great way to ask questions and avoid a stressful situation for the buyer when they move into their new home.
Participate in the Final Walk-Through
Final walk-throughs are the last chance to inspect the property before closing escrow. This is an opportunity to verify that all repairs have been completed and that there have been no new issues since your home inspection. Also, make sure that all appliances, fixtures, and furniture that were agreed upon remain in place and functioning. There are often areas of the walls or floors that the seller does not see during an inspection. These areas can be inspected during the final walkthrough.
You can actually fix it yourself
Unfortunately, this is the most common call I receive after a home inspection. After we have completed a home inspection, the buyer and agent meet to discuss the details and add them to the Request for Repairs form. This is then sent to the seller. Everyone is happy when a monetary amount is agreed upon as a credit for the repairs. Escrow closes. Unfortunately, repairs are often not completed and buyers find problems in their home after they move in.
“Your Inspector Should Have Catch That”
We often receive a call from an agent when a plumber or electrician visits a buyer after they move in. The typical conversation goes like this: “The plumber discovered a problem and informed the buyer that your inspector should’ve caught it.” It is extremely unfortunate, as the plumber doesn’t know the best practices for home inspections. This causes undue stress and anger to the buyer. The contractor’s defect was not visible, so we have to explain this to the buyer. It is not part of our home inspector in Westwego LA inspection. This situation can almost always avoided by reading the agreement and following the standards of practice before the home inspection.
“It’s not up to code”
We get calls frequently stating that the contractor told us that it wasn’t up-to-code and that they should replace it. This is most common with electrical panels. It is important to remember that the codes may be different now than they were decades ago. There may have been modifications over time, which should have been made according to the codes at the time. It’s difficult for inspectors to identify the codes at every modification to a house. We don’t use codes to report defects. There are times when codes don’t apply. We call out codes if we see a clearly identifiable and immediate danger.
The home-buying process can be very exciting and should be filled full of great memories. It is possible to avoid problems such as those I have described by informing and educating potential buyers prior, during, or after the home inspection.
