After the Home Inspection is Completed

Home inspections can be tough on a buyer and a seller.  Each has certain expectations.  Each has definitely got skin in the game by this point.  Each is on pins and needles, hoping for good news, bracing for bad news and attempting to plan in advance for what may or may not be revealed.

The buyer generally is the first to see the Inspection report, unless a seller chooses to do an advance inspection in preparation for selling the house.  The buyer looks over the report usually with a fairly high level of anxiety.  Their concern is “will this house be sound, safe and free of defects that will cost me possibly thousands in repairs in the near future?”

Questions run through their minds and tumble out to their agent representative, a litany of what if’s.  What if:

• The foundation is faulty?
• The roof needs repair?
• The fixtures aren’t going to make it through another winter or summer?
• The joists are eaten away by termites?
• The appliances are not in working order?

Who will decide what repairs are done by whom?  Who pays?  Will we have to walk away from a house we’ve fallen in love with?  Will the seller be willing to do whatever it takes to complete this sale?  How will they know what they should ask for and what they should take responsibility for?

It would be ideal if everyone could keep emotions in check and deal calmly with the findings from a home inspection.  Wouldn’t that make the process a smooth and stress free event!  However, that is unlikely for the reasons cited above – expectations, emotion already invested and financial commitments already initiated.

Your local marketing specialist has the expertise and knowledge to walk seller or buyer through what could be a difficult situation. Unless the inspection should reveal serious structural or unacceptable conditions or one party refuses to be cooperative, completing the transaction should be everyone’s top priority. Your agent will:

1. Walk you through the report, make suggestions and research any answers you need so you make decisions from an informed position
2. Help prioritize your “must do” over the “want done” list to satisfy lender requirements, restore peace of mind and keep your transaction on track
3. Assist with negotiating mutually agreeable terms concerning the report items that need to be addressed so all parties are satisfied with the outcome

That is why hiring a representative you trust is so important. Working within the restrictions of local laws and ordinances, a win-win conclusion is in everyone’s best interest rather than starting all over from the beginning.