Yes. Thanks, come again for our next topic.
That is for the people like me who like to get right to the point. For those who like a little more meet to your subject I will go on. I just came back from showing a foreclosure home to a couple who is looking for a second home in Gilbert. For those of you who enjoyed our 87degree day in February, you understand why they would want to move here. When they asked about the process of buying a foreclosed property I was explaining to them the first thing you do after you get an accepted offer is to get a home inspection. They said “we don’t need that.” This is where buyers actually having a licensed real estate agent working on their behalf pays off.
I explained to them how spending $300-$350 bucks for a home inspection could save them thousands or even tens-of-thousands in the long run. While the home was very clean and looked like it was maintained well, you never know what is behind the walls or in the plumbing or wiring. A home inspection should not even be an option, even on a new build. More on that in a minute.
Worst case scenario, you pay around $300 to find out the home you are buying is in perfect shape. But, that $300 should be considered a great investment to give you peace of mind. Most of the time that will not happen. There will usually be something wrong with the property and it may be as simple as the air conditioning unit needs to be serviced or a countertop is loose. A good quality home inspection will point out all the flaws, small and large.
What if your home has termites, or a couple of trusses are cracked in the attic. These are things you would like to have known before you made that large investment. You do need a home inspection because there will almost always be something wrong. Knowing before hand gives you the opportunity to fix them when you move in, ask for them to be fixed before the deal moves forward or it gives you the opportunity to get out of the deal all together.
Then the not so obvious question, do I need a home inspection on a new build home? Yes I would even get one there too. You think a builder has never cut a corner or an employee has never made a mistake and tried to cover it up? I am not saying it always happens, but it happens. Two weeks ago I was at a home inspection for a buyer who was purchasing an eight year old home. The inspector had just come from doing an inspection on a new build. On the eight year old home he found about 7-8 minor things wrong with the home, nothing big enough to stand in way of the deal getting done. On the new build he reported 28 problems with the home. Three times as many issues on the new build as a house that was almost a decade old.
I don’t think there is an agent out there who is really looking out for their clients that would not recommend a buyer gets a home inspection a house they were buying.
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