The importance of having a home inspector

With all the Michigan foreclosures and homes across the country it is extremely important when buying a home that you get a home inspection done by a professional.  When you buy a Michigan home from a bank you are buying it "as is".  What that means is that the bank is not going to fix anything.  So if you do not like what you get in the inspection report you either ask for a price reduction or you walk from the deal.  Make sure your real estate agent has an inspection clause in the contract that allows you to do this.

Here are a couple of examples lately that prove my point.  A 2400 square foot home in Farmington was going for under $125,000.  They signed the contract and then had an inspection done.  Come to find out that Michigan foreclosure had a bad well and septic system.  That bank knew nothing about it, and the repair will cost thousands of dollars.  If the buyer bought the home without an inspection, they would have to come up with the money to get the well and septic system repaired on their own.  Some people don't have $5,000 - $10,000 laying around in the bank to make the repairs.

Another example was told to me by a landscaping buddy.  He was driving out of his subdivision on day in January (5 degree temperatures and 20 mile an hour winds).  He looked to the left and he saw water running down the outside of a house from the second floor.  It was a Michigan foreclosure in a subdivision of homes that ranged from $325,000 to $450,000.  My friend stopped at the builders office and told him about it.  They went down to the house and saw over 2 feet of water in the basement, water flowing out from under the garage door, and water flowing out of the brick in two other spots from the upstairs.

What had happened was the people moved out of the Michigan foreclosure.  The bank may or may not have been notified.  The water was on, but the heat had been shut off when the people moved out.  The bank never got the chance to winterize the house or shut the water off.  The pipes froze and now their is extensive damage to the house.

I have been in a house like this.  My buyer and I never noticed anything unusual.  There were two spots that there was peeling paint and a door was warped.  But nothing that signalled major water damage.  The house still had no heat.  When the inspector came in he found extensive water damage in the house after 10 minutes into his inspection.  Inspectors are trained to find potential problems.  Get an inspection.  Michigan foreclosures especially.  You should never buy a home without an inspection.

Banks are exempt from filling out a seller's disclosure because they have not lived in the Michigan home.  So do yourself and your bank account a favor get a home inspection on your Michigan foreclosure or on your new Michigan Home.

For More buyers tips, Michigan real estate or to search over 60,000 Michigan homes go to my website http://www.russravary.com/

Have a stress free day.   Russ Ravary