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Buying a home? The process can be
stressful. A home inspection is supposed to give you
peace of mind, but often has the opposite effect. You
will be asked to absorb a lot of information in a
short time. This often includes a written report,
checklist, photographs, environmental reports, and
what the inspector himself says during the inspection.
All this combined with the seller's disclosure and
what you notice yourself makes the experience even
more overwhelming. What should you do?
Relax. Most of your inspection will be
maintenance recommendations, life expectancies and
minor imperfections. These are nice to know about.
However, the issues that really matter will fall into
four categories:
- Major defects. An example of this
would be a structural failure.
- Things that lead to major defects.
A small roof-flashing leak, for example.
- Things that may hinder your ability
to finance, legally occupy, or insure the home.
- Safety hazards, such as an exposed,
live buss bar at the electric panel.
Anything in these categories should be
addressed. Often a serious problem can be corrected
inexpensively to protect both life and property
(especially in categories 2 and 4).
Most sellers are honest and are often
surprised to learn of defects uncovered during an
inspection. Realize that sellers are under no
obligation to repair everything mentioned in the
report. No home is perfect. Keep things in
perspective. Don't kill your deal over things that
don't matter. It is inappropriate to demand that a
seller address deferred maintenance, conditions
already listed on the seller's disclosure, or
nit-picky items.
The above is an excerpt from Sell
Your Home For More by Nick Gromicko.
Copyright (C) 1997 Nick Gromicko
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