I never tire of sharing the good news that a buyer’s offer has been accepted…especially when you know you were up against multiple other offers on a much desired property!
“Congratulations!…You won it!!”
“YAY!! (happy dance)”….and the inevitable next question that comes from the buyer after the news sinks in…”now what do I/we need to do?”
After you are under contract with a signed purchase agreement, you will need to immediately work on getting your private home inspection(s) scheduled. These inspections are ordered by and paid for by you, performed by an inspector of your choosing. In most typical cases, you will have only 7 calendar days from the date of your offer’s acceptance in order to have these inspection(s) completed. And when the housing market is busy, so are inspectors! Meaning, they naturally book up fast. So you need to act fast to get on their calendar as soon as possible.
The most typical inspection is your general home inspection. It certainly is not “required” but we strongly recommend every purchaser arrange to have one completed. And not by your dad or your friend who “knows about building”, but by a good certified home inspector. Why? Because a home is likely the largest purchase you will ever make and you want to arm yourself with as much knowledge as you can attain about that property’s current condition before you fully pursue that investment by submitting it to the eyes of an individual that crawls in, out, down and around different homes all day, every day. They know exactly what they are looking for. And quite importantly in the purchasing process, a good inspector knows how to adequately document their findings in a comprehensive report that can be utilized in negotiations with the seller should major issues be uncovered.
When selecting a home inspector, don’t just shop around for the “best price”, because you often get what you pay for. It is important to ask many questions as to what they include and exclude from their scope of work, how they will document their findings and how long it will take to receive your report. Remember you are purchasing this inspection to give yourself proper peace of mind as you enter into this (huge) purchase. Don’t skip and don’t skimp on your inspection!
Once you schedule the inspection, plan to be there! It is a very common question from the buyer, “should I be there for the inspection?” Absolutely!! This is your opportunity and right to join by the inspector’s side to see first hand any concerns that they may find and to ask any and all questions you may have about the integrity and condition of the house and it’s systems. But when you plan to be there, block out about 3 hours of your day. It’s not a quick run through the house…it’s crawling into the attic, crawl space, operating all appliances, opening windows, running faucets, checking electrical systems, etc, etc. (No, YOU don’t have to crawl through the attic and crawl space…just the inspector…they will provide you photos of what they see).
When the inspection is complete, you should have quite a large and comprehensive report. It is important to understand that the bulk of the items called to attention by the inspector are not intended as a laundry list of things we would expect/demand the seller to fix. They are, rather, a list of items that you should be mindful of in best maintaining and preserving your home for years to come. It can also give you a good indication of what kind of projects you are going to need to undertake if you have entered into an “as is” purchase (meaning the sellers tell you up front that they will not invest in or make any repairs). What we are going to call to the seller’s attention (when it’s not an as is sale) are the more major health and safety type issues and potential “deal breakers”. And we need to call it to their attention within the appropriate time allotted (usually 2 days).
Sometimes, you will want/need additional specialized inspections depending on the property and/or what was discovered during the general home inspection. Some of the most frequent additional inspections are:
- Well
- Septic
- Cast iron drain line scope (from house to sewer main)
- HVAC
- Pest
- Radon
These too need to be scheduled during the allotted inspection period.
If you don’t have an inspector in mind, we recommend and have worked very frequently with:
Pillar to Post – www.pillartopost.com – 734-427-5577 (request Matt or Dustin)
Trademark Home Inspections – www.trademarkhomeinspection.com – 734-331-3269
Target Home Inspection Services – TargetHomeInspectionMI.com – 248-840-2631
