Oh my gosh…pipes leaking, ceiling tiles damaged, furnace not working properly, electrical issues, deck needs attention…gosh…what do I do now? Is this house, the house I have fallen deeply in love with, falling apart?
Well… maybe yes and maybe no. There is no such thing as a perfectly built or perfectly maintained house…at least, I have never inspected such a thing nor do I hope I ever will. Rest assured though, there are houses out there that are simply in very poor condition. However, the problems identified in a home inspection report are more likely to be problems typical of a particular age or home. While this is not always the case, it is very likely that the problems can be repaired. Most things can be repaired. Even more serious items, such as structural problems, water intrusion and resulting damage, heating and air conditioning systems that need to be replaced, etc., can be repaired. Once problems have been identified, regardless of their severity, it becomes a question of whether or not they are going to be repaired, how and who could repair them, how much those repairs will cost, and which part is going to be repaired. be financially responsible for those repairs.
First…and in my opinion…the details of what a Home Inspection is, and how a Home Inspection report is typically used in a real estate transaction, should have been fully explained to the buyer by their real estate agent before the inspection period. Then, at the beginning of the Home Inspection, the Home Inspector should explain to the client what he can expect from the Home Inspector and the Home Inspection report. The Home Inspectorate report, and again in my very humble opinion, should not be seen as an exhaustive list to be used to severely hit the selling party on the head and shoulders. There will likely be…there will almost certainly be…items in the report that, while required to be reported by the rules governing the Home Inspection, may not be within the scope of the Real Estate Offer Contact as items that can be repaired by the seller. That determination, or interpretation, is best left to a real estate agent or attorney. The issues identified in the report, in their entirety, are information…information provided as part of the basis on which to make an informed purchasing decision. That’s why you had an inspection in the first place, right? You paid for a professional home appraisal to make a more informed purchase decision.
Second… take a half step back, take a deep breath or two, and reread the report. I promise you that the world has not come to an end as a result of the report. If there are numerous individual items to consider, try to list those issues in the order of their importance to YOU. The report can categorize problems to some extent, but the home inspector can’t decide how important YOU should give any given item. The Inspector should also not advise you whether or not you should buy the house; such advice or guidance is simply outside the scope of a Home Inspection. There are two questions that I personally have never answered. The first is “Would you buy this house?” and the second is “How would you rate this house on a scale of 1 to 10?” There is too much a home inspector simply doesn’t know to be able to answer such questions. Sure, they know a lot about the physical condition of the home when the inspection is complete, but that’s only part of the equation. They don’t know how much the house is worth, they don’t know the financial condition of the clients, and they don’t know what the financial arrangements might be. I suggest, too, that they should not want to know.
Third… let’s start collecting even more information. Information… accurate information… and the resulting knowledge gained are your dearest friends. You must associate a dollar value with the necessary repairs. Will the repairs require a structural evaluation by a licensed professional engineer? Are the repairs necessary such that they will require implementation by a licensed general contractor? Can any of the elements be corrected by a maintenance personnel specialized in general repairs? Find and get estimates from the contractors who will perform the repairs. Use all available resources to get information and make good decisions. Your professional and experienced real estate agent, assuming you have contracted for that service, is in an excellent position to assist you in this endeavor. The typical professional real estate agent has a wealth of knowledge and resources at their disposal on how to approach the contents and issues of a home inspection report. That’s part of what they do when representing their clients during a real estate transaction.
Your success in your real estate transaction depends, at least in part, on gathering the right information, processing that information, and making informed decisions based on that information. If you do it in a calm, direct, and forthright way… with as few emotions involved as possible… it will probably contribute to a positive outcome.