Four Reasons To Get A Home Inspection

Purchasing a home is usually the single largest financial transaction the average person will ever do their entire life.  After the excitement of getting your offer accepted, you should get a home inspection.  There are four ways this can benefit you.

First, it can uncover huge flaws in the home that were not apparent when you made the offer.  These issues could be large and costly enough that you may elect to not continue the transaction.  You may be able to back out (rescind) of the transaction and get your deposit money back.

Second, you may wish to continue the transaction but only if you can adjust the terms of the original agreed upon offer.  This could be asking the seller to make repairs or getting a reduction in the sales price.  The property still has the features that you want.  But, you didn’t know about the flaws when you made the original offer.

Third, you may decide additional inspections are necessary.  Home inspectors have a very broad background.  If there are unique issues like seasonal flooding, a settling foundation, framing, mold, roofing, or zoning, you need to get an additional inspection.  You can get a better idea of how large and costly the issue will be.

Fourth, you may discover that there isn’t anything wrong with the home.  Don’t view this as a waste of money on an unnecessary inspection.  View it as a blessing that you can continue the transaction with peace of mind.

You may have guessed…the above four paragraphs are the four options outlined on the Form 35R, Inspection Response For Form 35.  Make sure to let your real estate agent know your concerns and how you wish to proceed.  Then get this documented properly to maintain clear lines of communication between you and the seller.  You want to execute the real estate transaction in a manner that is safe for you and fair to the seller.