Seller inspections (sometimes referred to as pre-listing inspections) are becoming more popular because they virtually eliminate all the pitfalls and hassles associated with waiting to do the inspections until a buyer is found. In many ways, waiting to schedule inspections until after a home goes under agreement, is too late. Seller inspections are arranged and paid for by the seller, usually just before the home goes on the market. The seller is the inspector's client. The inspector works for the seller and generates a report for the seller. The seller then typically makes multiple copies of the report and shares them with potential buyers that tour the home for sale. Seller inspections are a benefit to all parties in a real estate transaction. They are a win-win-win-win.
Advantages to the seller:
The seller can choose a certified NACHI inspector rather than be at the mercy of the buyer's choice of inspector.
The seller can schedule the inspections at the seller's convenience.
It might alert the seller of any items of immediate personal concern, such as radon gas or active termite infestation.
The seller can assist the inspector during the inspection, something normally not done during a buyer's inspection.
The seller can have the inspector correct any misstatements in the inspection report before it is generated.
The report can help the seller realistically price the home if problems exist.
The report can help the seller substantiate a higher asking price if problems don't exist or have been corrected.
A seller inspection reveals problems ahead of time which:
might make the home show better.
gives the seller time to make repairs and shop for competitive contractors.
permits the seller to attach repair estimates or paid invoices to the inspection report.
removes over-inflated buyer procured estimates from the negotiation table.
The report might alert the seller to any immediate safety issues found, before agents and visitors tour the home.
The report provides a third-party, unbiased opinion to offer to potential buyers.
A seller inspection permits a clean home inspection report to be used as a marketing tool.
A seller inspection is the ultimate gesture in forthrightness on the part of the seller.
The report might relieve a prospective buyer's unfounded suspicions, before they walk away.
A seller inspection lightens negotiations and 11th-hour renegotiations.
The report might encourage the buyer to waive the inspection contingency.
The deal is less likely to fall apart the way they often do when a buyer's inspection unexpectedly reveals a problem, last minute.
The report provides full-disclosure protection from future legal claims.
Advantages to the real estate agent:
Agents can recommend certified NACHI inspectors as opposed to being at the mercy of buyer's choices in inspectors.
Sellers can schedule the inspections at seller's convenience with little effort on the part of agents.
Sellers can assist inspectors during the inspections, something normally not done during buyer's inspections.
Sellers can have inspectors correct any misstatements in the reports before they are generated.
Reports help sellers see their homes through the eyes of a critical, third-party, thus making sellers more realistic about asking price.
Agents are alerted to any immediate safety issues found, before other agents and potential buyers tour the home.
Repairs made ahead of time might make homes show better.
The reports provide third-party, unbiased opinions to offer to potential buyers.
Clean reports can be used as marketing tools to help sell the homes.
Reports might relieve prospective buyer's unfounded suspicions, before they walk away.
Seller inspections eliminate buyer's remorse that sometimes occurs just after an inspection.
Seller inspections reduce the need for negotiations and 11th-hour renegotiations.
Seller inspections relieve the agent of having to hurriedly procure repair estimates or schedule repairs.
The reports might encourage buyers to waive their inspection contingencies.
Deals are less likely to fall apart the way they often do when buyer's inspections unexpectedly reveal problems, last minute.
Reports provide full-disclosure protection from future legal claims.
Advantages to the home buyer:
The inspection is done already.
The inspection is paid for by the seller.
The report provides a more accurate, third-party view of the condition of the home prior to making an offer.
A seller inspection eliminates surprise defects.
Problems are corrected or at least acknowledged prior to making an offer on the home.
A seller inspection reduces the need for negotiations and 11th-hour renegotiations.
The report might assist in acquiring financing.
A seller inspection allows the buyer to sweeten the offer without increasing the offering price by waiving inspections.
Common myths about seller inspections:
Q. Don't seller inspections kill deals by forcing sellers to disclose defects they otherwise wouldn't have known about? A. Any defect that is material enough to kill a real estate transaction is likely going to be uncovered eventually anyway. It is best to discover the problem ahead of time, before it can kill the deal.
Q. Isn't a home inspector's liability increased by having his/her reports be seen by potential buyers? A. No. There is no liability in having your seller permit someone who doesn't buy the property see your report. And there is less liability in having a buyer rely on your old report when the buyer is not your client and has been warned not to rely on your report, than it is to work directly for the buyer and have him be entitled to rely on your report.
Q. Don't seller inspections take too much energy to sell to make them profitable for the inspector? A. Perhaps. But not when the inspector takes into account the marketing benefit of having a samples of his/her product (the report) being passed out to agents and potential buyers who are looking to buy now in the inspector's own local market, not to mention the seller who is likely moving locally and in need of an inspector, plus the additional chance of re-inspection work being generated for the inspector.
Q. A newer home in good condition doesn't need an inspection anyway. Why should the seller have one done? A. Unlike real estate agents whose job it is to market properties for their sellers, inspectors produce objective reports. If the property is truly in great shape the inspection report becomes a pseudo marketing piece with the added benefit of having been generated by an impartial party.
Q. Don't seller inspections and re-inspections reduce the number of buyer inspections needed in the marketplace? A. No. Although every inspection job a NACHI member catches upstream is one his/her competitors might not get, especially if the buyer waives his/her inspection and/or the seller hires the same inspector to inspect the home he/she is buying, the number of inspections performed by the industry as a whole is increased by seller inspections.
When the Cold Wind Blows Keep those cold winds outside
By: Paul Bianchina
When the cold winds blow, the last thing you want to do is invite them inside to join you for the evening. One of the best ways to keep those uninvited guests outside is to make sure the weatherstripping on your exterior doors is working effectively, so take a little time this weekend to check their condition and replace them if necessary.
There are actually several kinds of weatherstripping used on doors, and while just about any one will work on the majority of doors, some are definitely better than others.
Integrated Foam Strip: This is the type of weatherstripping found on most new doors, and is both simple and effective. It consists of a semi-rigid foam strip -- often encased in a tough, flexible outer sheath that helps protect the foam from damage -- that fits between the door and the stop. The foam is attached to a wood, metal, or plastic strip that in turn slips into a slot cut into the doorstop. If your door currently has this type of weather stripping and it is worn out or damaged, replace it with the same material, available through some home centers and most door shops. You can also retrofit this type of weather stripping to an existing door, but it requires cutting a slot in the doorstop - something that's easy to do if the stop is removable, but a little tricky if it's not.
Magnetic: This is only used with metal doors, and is a very effective weather stripping. It consists of a flexible vinyl and foam strip, with a magnetic strip inside at the face. When the door is closed, the magnetic strip attaches itself to the face of the door, forming a very tight seal. This is ideal for metal doors that do not currently have weather stripping, or as a replacement for existing magnetic weather stripping that is damaged. It is usually only available through door shops.
Bulb-Type: This is one of the better retrofit weatherproofing available. It is inexpensive, relatively easy to apply, and works with virtually any type of door. The weather stripping is a vinyl or rubber tube that is hollow inside, attached to an aluminum strip that is slotted for installation. The weather stripping is applied to the side of the doorstop so that the hollow tube compresses against the door to form a seal. One kit includes two long strips for the sides and one short strip for the top, plus nails or screws for installation. Complete instructions are included; just take your time with the installation to ensure a tight, effective fit.
Felt Strips: These are somewhat similar to the bulb weather stripping, but not as effective. It consists of a long strip of felt that is bonded to a metal strip, and is installed by nailing the metal to the face of the doorstop so that the felt presses against the door. It's probably a little easier to install then the bulb-type, but because the felt is not flexible like
the hollow bulb is, the continuity of the seal against the door is not as good.
Folded Vinyl: This is simply a long vinyl strip that is folded lengthwise into a V-shape. It is self-adhesive and sticks to the inside of the doorstop. When the door is closed, the V compresses to press the vinyl against the face of the door. Relatively effective, easy to apply, but easily damaged and doesn't hold up well in extreme cold.
Self-Stick Foam: This is an inexpensive, easy to-apply weather stripping that is somewhat effective. It consists of a length of foam on a roll, with a self-adhesive backing. Cut the foam to the desired length, peel off the protective tape to expose the adhesive, and apply it to the inside of the doorstop. Foam tapes come in different thicknesses to conform to the thickness of the gap between the door and the stop. Be forewarned that this type of weather stripping typically doesn't last more than a couple of winters, and can be hard to strip off when it comes time to replace it.
Interlocking: This is an older form of weather stripping that is not often done anymore, but it pays to know what it is if your door is equipped with it. Interlocking weather stripping consists of two bent metal strips -one in the doorstop and one in the edge of the door. When the door is closed, the two strips interlock with one another to form a seal. It's actually a pretty effective weather stripping, but it's difficult to install and prone to damage. If your door currently has it and it's working okay, leave it alone. Otherwise, retrofit with one of the new bulb-type weather stripping materials.
Garage Door: Don't forget that other big door in the front of your house. Garage door weather stripping is typically a wood or rigid vinyl strip with a flexible vinyl flap attached. The strip is simply nailed to the exterior frame around the garage door, so that the vinyl flat presses against the garage door and forms a seal. Most home centers carry garage door weather stripping, or you can get it from any garage door retailer.
Quotes:
"A good word is an easy obligation; but not to speak ill requires only our silence; which costs us nothing."
John Tillotson
"A man's own good breeding is the best security against other people's ill manners."
Lord Chesterfield
For Professional Insight on a Home, whether its a purchase or you are selling, or both, please call:
Your local Pro-Sight Property Inspections Affiliate Member www.prosightinspections.com
Please Contact Your Local Pro-Sight Property Inspections Affiliate Member
Quotes:
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Television enables you to be entertained in your home by people you wouldn't have in your home."
If you're thinking of building or remodeling a kitchen, one of the tough questions you'll be facing is what material to use for the counters. One product that definitely needs to make the list of possibilities is engineered quartz, which offers the striking natural beauty of granite without all the drawbacks of natural stone.Engineered quartz is made from approximately 93-95 percent natural quartz, with the remaining 5-7 percent consisting of resins and pigments. Natural quartz is first ground to small particles of varying sizes, then mixed to specific color and size blends, and combined with the resins. The resulting mixture is then molded into slabs, and the slabs are then vibrated and compressed while a vacuum removes air, all of which is designed to eliminate air pockets and create a very hard and dense material. The slabs are then heat-cured, rolled to specific thicknesses, and polished to a beautiful sheen.This carefully controlled manufacturing process results in a finished material that does not have many of the problems associated with all-natural stone counters such as granite. Engineered quartz counters are very hard and very dense, are resistant to knife cuts, and do not require ongoing application of sealers to prevent the staining common to porous natural stone. Because the air pockets have been removed, engineered quartz counters do not have fissures and cracks, and are also more heat-resistant. All this combines to create a counter with the natural beauty of real stone, but in a material that manufacturers can warranty for reliable performance.
CHOICES ABOUND Thanks to the careful selection and blending of the quartz crystals and the addition of specific pigments, engineered quartz counters come in a variety of colors, with grain patterns that range from fairly soft to a little bolder. As with natural stones, the color combinations offered by the various manufacturers are somewhat similar but also different enough that it pays to check out a few different samples.In addition to selecting your color and pattern, you will be offered a choice of several different edge treatments. Standard edges include square and bullnose, with available upgrades such as beveled, double and triple bullnoses, and even custom edges. Be forewarned, however, that those upgraded edges can be quite expensive, and will add considerably to the overall cost of the installation.One very popular option that's definitely worth considering is an undermount sink. Undermount sinks do not have the overlapping edge common to most sinks that drop in from above. Instead, the top of the sink is flat to allow it to seat up against the underside of the counter. A hole of a specific size and layout is cut into the counter; the edges of the hole are rounded over and polished; and the sink is then set from below and sealed into place. The result is a cleaner, sleeker countertop without that dirt-catching sink edge to contend with.With the increase in popularity, most plumbing fixture manufacturers now offer a variety of undermount sinks. You'll find single-, double-, and triple-bowl combinations in stainless steel, enameled cast iron, enameled steel, and composites, all in different bowl shapes and colors. You will, however, need to make your selection early, since the fabricators will need to have the specific sink available in order to correctly cut the counter.
DO-IT-YOURSELF IS NOT AN OPTION No matter how ambitious you might be, undertaking the installation of an engineered quartz counter is not an option. Accurately cutting and fitting these big, heavy slabs requires specialized tools and training, and the manufacturers require their installers to be factory trained.Once your cabinets have been installed -- or, in the case of a remodeling project, once the old counters have been removed from the existing cabinets -- the fabricators will make a site visit to create templates. Using sheets of corrugated plastic, they will carefully cut, fit and glue up an exact replica of your counters, including the location of sinks and other cutouts. These exact templates are then given to the manufacturer, and the slabs are precision cut to match, a process that can typically take one to two weeks.Once the slabs have been cut, an installation team will do the final fitting. Small adjustments will be made on-site as needed, then the counters will be installed using a sealant that adheres them to the top of the cabinets. Larger kitchens will typically require seams between some of the slabs, but a good installer will carefully place the seams where they will be the least visible, and then blend color putties to make the seams all but disappear.
Engineered quartz counters are available from several manufacturers, including Silestone, Cambria, Zodiaq and CaesarStone. For more information, including dealer locations, you can check the specific manufacturer Web sites or look in the Yellow Pages under "Counter Tops."
Just a friendly reminder from Builder's Eye Home Inspections to change the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors during your spring cleaning duties. In some cases the alarm will start to chirp intermittently when the battery is getting low and is nearing the end of its life. A lot of times we are guilty of not having batteries on hand and will take the battery out to end the annoying chirping leaving the detectors totally ineffective until we remember to replace the battery.
Lithium batteries can be used and last for many years but are fairly expensive. If lithium batteries are used we still recommend testing the device monthly. The use of rechargeable batteries is not recommended as they have a short charge life between charges, in other words they self discharge very quickly.
Also remember to test your smoke detector(s) on occasion, while most models have a test button built in it is also a good idea to test them with the smoke from a match or a candle.
Have a great spring!
Ernie
Builder's Eye Home Inspections, LLC/Pro-sight Property Inspections "Inspections from a real-life builder"
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