THINGS TO DO BEFORE PURCHASING A HOME

Do not buy someone’s problem, or like they say in cards, “do not get left holding the Old Maid”. Protect yourself from buying someone else’s problem. The way you do this is simple. Hire a qualified home inspector in your proposed community/neighborhood to do a thorough home inspection, before you buy anything.

When making an offer on a home, legal experts frequently suggest you need to include the following phrase in your offer to purchase a home: “This offer to purchase is subject to a satisfactory building inspection.” If available in your area, we suggest hiring a member of the American Society of Home Inspectors, or a member of the National Association of Home Inspectors. Separate from this we also strongly suggest a plumbing inspection from a qualified plumber in your area along with a roof inspection from a qualified roofer in your area. Home inspectors are frequently not plumbing or roofing experts.

Again do not make an offer on a home, or any type of residential property without the following condition: “This offer is subject to a satisfactory home inspection.”

While disclosure statements are important, who wants to go through the drama of a long or protracted law suit against a seller, for an undisclosed or improperly disclosed defect? Hire a qualified home inspector, plumber and roofer to find out for yourself. The home inspector will typically work off a data spread sheet or a punch list. While punch list items will vary around the country, areas to be inspected typically include roof, foundation, siding, windows, electrical, plumbing, septic (if appropriate), dry rot, and other important items. You also need a plumbing inspection to make certain your home does not need to be re-piped (a complete replacement of the existing plumbing system) and or re-roofed because the home in question no longer has a proper roof or adequate gutter system/roof flashing.   

You, as a smart consumer, should be aware of these items before you ever purchase a house.

 

Do Not Buy A Home Without A Satisfactory Building Inspection, or an inspection that highlights a home’s construction, or maintenance issues.  

To find an acceptable home inspection service in your desired area, contact the local Board of Realtors. Typically they will have a preferred list of reputable home inspection services in the neighborhood or area near your proposed home purchase.

Before hiring the home inspector, make certain that he/she has all the appropriate licensing if required by the state. Equally important, make certain the home inspection service has errors and omissions insurance coverage. If for one reason or another, the inspector misses what was an obvious problem, this potentially allows you recourse against the inspector and or his/her insurance firm. Do not use the services of a home inspection firm that does not have insurance.

In the event you are purchasing a new home, have it inspected! One of our affiliated groups focuses on construction defect litigation. Most Americans would be amazed at how poorly many new homes are built. Even if a home builder offers a “warranty” program, sometimes getting the homebuilder to come back and fix obvious defects is harder than you think.