When it comes to buying a home, there is one thing that people almost always tend to skip over: having it inspected. While the reasons for doing so are numerous (lack of information, hefty price tag, lengthy process, etc.), not having a home inspected can seriously cost you in the end. Keep in mind that once you sign your name on the dotted line and the home becomes yours, you are 100% responsible for any and all things wrong with it. While this is not to say that every home has problems and will eat your checkbook for breakfast, lunch, and dinner it is definitely better to be safe than sorry in this situation. Just because a home looks good both inside and outside, does not mean that there aren’t hidden problems. A lot of home owners will sell their home simply to offload all of its problems onto someone else; after all, fixing a cracked foundation or leaky air conditioner is costly and they would much rather have someone else deal with it. Not to mention, you probably won’t even notice a cracked foundation or leaking A/C unit until part of the ceiling caves in from the water accumulating. This is where an inspect will greatly benefit you. They are trained to spot potential problems and can let you know if your home is infested with termites, has a cracked water heater, bad foundation, and everything else under the sun that is hiding in your house that can’t be seen by the untrained eye.
The inspection process will also allow you -if you decide that you still want the home of course- to negotiate the price or insist the owner foot the bills. If there are animals in the walls or termites you can request that the seller have this taken care of before you move in or knock some money off of the final cost so that you can pay for the repairs yourself. More often than not, the seller is more than happy to do this; especially if it means keeping you as an interested/potential buyer. Sometimes, the home may not be worth buying if it is going to cost you too much money in the long run and only a seasoned home inspector can tell you whether it is a smart buy or something you need to run away from. While it can be relatively easy to pull that raccoon out of your attic and seal it back up, it’s a whole new ball game if the house has been suffering termite damage for years or has a cracking foundation. The foundation can cost you between 5000 and 60000 to fix which is a big chunk of money with the high end likely being reasonably close to what you paid for the home.
While our competitors will allow you to purchase a home without having it inspected first, here at Relief Real Estate we REQUIRE all buyers to have the home inspected prior to buying it. If you cannot afford the cost of the inspection, we can certainly work with you. We would much rather help you pay the cost of an inspection and rest assured that you are moving into the perfect home than allow any of our buyers to enter a home that is going to collapse or cost them tens of thousands of dollars to fix.
