Bringing in professionals to inspect the home you'd like to buy is an important investment in the home-buying process. The home inspector will go through the property with a fine-toothed comb and will expose what the problems are upfront, which will then allow both the buyer and the seller to determine who will be responsible to remedy them. Often what happens is a buyer mistakenly assumes a home is in perfect condition and, of course, then gets a list of items that need to be repaired. This information will be key to determining next steps—whether to buy or walk away.
It's all about information. Make sure you have an inspector who is not afraid to get down and dirty—crawl in tight areas, look at the foundation, look at places in the home you might not see with the naked eye even though you have visited the house one, two, or three times.
A good inspector will bring a crew of folks who are trained in areas he's not, such as a septic inspector or well expert who will test the integrity of the well on the property. If the home is older than 1978 you may want to consider an independent lead inspector. It's always a good idea to get a pest inspection. In my mind, more inspections equal more information. The cost might seem exorbitant upfront but at the end of day, it's worth it. The bottom line: getting a home inspection is a very, very good investment. You'll have all the information you need to move forward to negotiate necessary repairs or walk away. Either way, you save yourself a lot of time and money if you know exactly what the house needs.
In other news, I have been ranked the number one agent in the number one office here at Coldwell Banker in Newton, Connecticut. Thank you to our clients and those who gave us referrals. Business has been great, and I appreciate it!
If you would like to build a strategy to market your home, please contact me at (203) 727-8621 or Andy.Sachs@CBMoves.com. I'd be happy to assist you.