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Required Repairs After A Home Inspection

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Any home inspection can result in finding various issues, both minor and major. However, some of these issues may fall under the requirement to be repaired by the seller. And others will not. You may find it important to become familiar with both. Here’s what you need to know!

Required repairs after a home inspection

There are two very specific issues that will be required by the homeowner to repair, regardless of the purchase deal or contract. The first is any water penetration issues such as mold or water in the walls. The second is local code safety violations. This includes any home issues that break any required codes, such as using specific materials for your roof, insulation, an unstable deck, etc.

If any of these two repairs are uncovered during the home inspection, the seller will be required to make the repairs before closing the sale of the home. You can depend on your agent to see this through. You should also expect to make sure you see the repair has been done yourself.

Repairs not required but you can negotiate them

Apart from the two repairs listed above, nothing else is required by the homeowner. However, if a major issues is discovered by an inspection, you can petition the homeowner to pay for the repair. This is part of a negotiation. You and your agent can negotiate with the seller to address any major repairs as part of the home sale.

Allow your agent to guide you

You should know that you won’t always get what you request. Your agent should guide you to to handle your expectations in what the seller will agree to and what they won’t. You won’t know exactly what you will get, but it never hurts to ask. You may also benefit to back up your requests with research. This is why a home inspection is so important. It helps when the sellers hear it from an expert.

As your home inspector, we’re on your side. We want to make sure you are as educated about your home as much as possible. And we also recommend you attend your inspection so you can ask as many questions as you like. Make sure you include us in your home inspection by scheduling right here online!

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The Home Inspector and the Real Estate Agent Relationship

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The home inspector and the real estate agent have a unique relationship. In most cases, this relationship is good. Both the home inspector and the real estate agent tend to look out for the home buyer’s best interest when considering a home for purchase. However, you may hear about this relationship becoming a strain on either party or within specific cases. Stories claim some real estate agents try to pressure the home inspector to “take it easy” on their inspection with a concern that any major issue with the house will kill the deal. I promise you that even if a real estate agent tries to pressure a home inspector, they still have the home buyer’s best interest in mind. The relationship between a home inspector and a real estate agent can become very delicate but there are a few things you should know.

Use the Inspector your Agent refers

If you trust your real estate agent then you should trust their reference. Your agent doesn’t just want to sell you a house, they want to sell you a home. When an agent knows and trusts a home inspector to do a good job they will always refer that inspector. You should consider their reference first. If your agent is on your side then you know the home inspector will be too. That being said, you must understand that the home inspector’s job is to make you aware of any potential problems with the home. We are not trying to ruing your “dream home” or break your heart. At the end of the day, you still get to decide if you want to purchase the house or not but now you can make a much more informed decision.

Let the Home Inspector do their job

So many home buyers quake at the thought of a home inspection. Especially first time home buyers. They get so worked up that the home inspector is going to find something that will completely dash their dreams of buying the house they have fallen so in love with. But you have to let the inspector do their job. Do you want to move into a house and find out after 6 months that you need a new roof? Which can cost upwards of $10,000 by the way. Of course you don’t! If there is ever a time to spend money on a home it is to make sure you are aware of exactly what you are purchasing before you complete the transaction.

Trust your instincts

There are a few cases where the home buyer does not feel comfortable with their real estate agent. For whatever reason, they just don’t trust that their agent is on their side. In these same cases, being open and honest with your agent might be all you need. Sometimes it’s a miscommunication, sometimes personalities don’t blend, etc. But whatever the reason might be, don’t stay with an agent you don’t feel comfortable with. Purchasing a home is one of the biggest decisions you will make in your life – both financially and emotionally. You want to go through that process with someone you trust.

You know you can trust Divinity Inspections to perform a thorough inspection on your home. We will always walk you through our reports, explain everything we find, answer all of your questions, and even give you references if you need any. We also work with some really fantastic real estate agents that we are happy to refer. Because referrals go both ways! Contact us today and tell us how we can help.

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Your home inspection is not JUST a negotiation tool

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Many times a buyer’s offer that has been accepted is contingent on the home inspection. Unfortunately for some buyers, this means being on edge until they receive the report. Of course, if the seller had their own home inspection done before listing the home for sale, called a Pre-Listing Inspection and highly recommended, then the sellers would already know what to expect and would be confident because of their previous report. Otherwise, a home inspection is many times seen as a necessity for closing on a home sale. While the inspection report is used as a negotiation tool most times, it should also be used as an educational tool for the buyers and their new home.

For many buyers, buying a home will be the biggest purchase of their lives. It’s not unreasonable that a buyer wants their “new home” to be “perfect”! Also in the mix are the two realtors, usually one representing the buyer and the other agent representing the seller – both wanting what’s best for their client’s interest. This is a “many cooks in the kitchen stirring the pot” kind of scenario!

A home inspection is a report used to provide additional information about the home. Generally, if there is a major issue with the home, the seller will issue a credit towards the buyer to cover the cost of fixing any major issues; or the buyer can request the seller have the issue fixed before closing on the purchase of the house. Either request is not unreasonable and is often seen in home-purchasing deals. That being said, the home inspection is essential to a home purchase and should be completed before closing on the purchase. The information in a home inspection report could save the buyer a lot of costs down the road, or at the least, make the buyer aware of issues that will need to be addressed immediately. This is where the educational part of a home inspection comes into play. Not only does an inspection notify the buyers of any immediate issues, but more importantly, the inspection report will educate the buyers on upcoming maintenance, issues they could foresee down the road, costs to prepare for, etc.

Either way there are justifiable negotiations before most home closings, and it is the responsibility of both agents to explain this to their clients. For this reason, most negotiations happen before the offer is accepted. Obvious issues in the home will be considered when pricing the home for sale in the beginning so major issues may already be addressed before the home inspection, but that doesn’t mean you should skip this step. Divinity Inspections Service offers our most-qualified inspectors to review the home / property to make sure there are no major “hidden” or underlying issues and that is really the most important knowledge in this kind of investment. When considering the importance of education a buyer receives from a home inspection, they may be less anxious and more excited to learn about their new home.