Yup, here it is. The poster child for having a home inspection. Doesn’t look horrible, does it? (Immediately after repairs, clean up not completed, interior looked awesome!)
Well, this REO was a ‘blue tarp special’ when I got the assignment – as in the complete roof was tarped. All of it. After damage assessments by 4 contractors, the repairs included some new siding, a complete new roof and gutters, miscellaneous interior repairs, interior/exterior repaint, new carpet and new kitchen appliances. Wow, did this house show well after the repairs were done!
And with over 2200 sq ft of space, a double lot and privileges to an all sports lake, it had a lot of showings and multiple offers. Then the successful bidder had it inspected.
They found extensive prior termite damage, a foundation problem, a well issue, non-conforming duct work and a whole lot of other things that weren’t horrible on their own, but as Bogart said to Mary Astor at the finish of movie, The Maltese Falcon, “Maybe some of them are unimportant. I won’t argue about that. But look at the number of them.” (He was talking about love, not a house, but it works here, too.)
Yes, there were mitigating circumstances. This house started life as a small, seasonal cottage, had been added onto at least a couple of times, and had been made a full time residence. Some of the defects were seen only when you got into a tight crawl space, others from multiple small attic spaces. That’s why the contractors missed seeing them. And to be honest, the house in its condition when assigned to me had a lot to see. It had, quite frankly, a high visual distraction quotient.
If you have client that wants to skip this important step and save a few hundred bucks, tell them the story about the poster child for having a home inspection – and sit on them until they agree.
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