Home inspections have become a regular occurrence in residential real estate transactions today, both for buyers and sellers. We recommend obtaining one to all of our clients. Why? Put simply, it will protect you; it can save you money, it can prevent certain legal disputes, and it can facilitate a smooth transaction. It used to be that home inspections weren’t a requirement for very many people; the general feeling was, if there was a serious problem with a home, someone in the course of the deal would notice it, so there wasn’t a need for a professional inspector. Then, some buyers discovered after they had purchased a home that there were some pretty expensive repairs required for problems that were not disclosed to them before, either because the sellers themselves didn’t know about them, or chose not to mention them. Needless to say, lawsuits followed. Buyers realized that to protect themselves from buying a lemon, a professional home inspection was a wise choice. Sellers began to see that in our litigious society, the most sensible option to save them from future legal claims was to obtain their own home inspection when they listed their property for sale.
There are clearly many benefits to obtaining a home inspection. A professional home inspector could discover problems that you may not be aware of. These may only be minor repairs, costing you a few dollars to make, but if they are discovered later, disclosure issues could arise, the buyers may start wondering what else was overlooked, and you could end up paying much more. Obtaining one of these inspections can make your home more appealing to potential buyers, giving them a sense of security. You can be confident that you have disclosed any and all known issues with the house, and have gone an extra step to discover any issues that may not have been known to you before. Furthermore, if a buyer has their own inspection conducted, and a problem is reported, you have a documented professional report that you can use as a basis to dispute the claim. A transaction will conclude smoother and quicker if surprise maintenance issues don’t crop up.
It is our job to make sure your real estate transaction goes as smoothly as possible, and this means anticipating possible problems that could arise later. This is why a home inspection is a must. We want you to be protected.
