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Home inspection, "Oh, you do not need one, it is a waste of money!"

By Gloria and Jason Belmonte

Real Estate Agent with Prudential Fox&Roach The Belmonte Group

March 12, 2007 01:17 PM

I really enjoyed this article I found in the "Cecil Whig", it just goes to how you, it is a duty of an agent to eduacte the buyer or seller about the homebuyer/homeseller process. Here goes:

Sellers must usually tell buyers about a home's defects, but that doesn't erase the need for the buyer to hire a professional inspector.

Dear Mr. Myers: I disagree with some advice you recently provided about the need to hire a home inspector. The law clearly states that a seller must voluntarily disclose any problems with his home to a buyer, so hiring a home inspector is an unnecessary expense. Further, if the seller does not disclose any problems, the buyer can always file a lawsuit if a problem is discovered later. So please stop encouraging your readers to waste money on home inspectors!

ANSWER: Sorry, but your argument doesn't hold much water. A seller's disclosure statement should never be used as a substitute for a professional home inspection. For starters, some sellers don't take disclosure laws seriously. A few will flat-out lie if they think it will help their property sell faster or for more money.

Not all states have strict disclosure laws. And even in those that do, sellers are typically only required to disclose problems that they already know about: They generally cannot be held liable for failing to disclose a defect that they didn't realize existed at the time of the sale.

For example, if you purchased a home without having it inspected and it slipped entirely off its foundation a week later, you couldn't successfully sue for the repair bill if the seller had no reason to suspect that the foundation was in bad shape. Had you instead hired an inspector before the sale closed, the inspector probably would have detected the problem, and you would then have the right to cancel the sale if the seller refused to make the repairs. Of course, if the inspector himself overlooked the foundation's troubles, you'd have the right to sue him, too.

In a way, paying a few hundred dollars for a professional inspection is "cheap insurance" against buying a property that might be loaded with hidden problems. That's one more reason why consumers should always employ the services of a qualified inspector, even if they're purchasing a house or condo that is only a couple of months old.

THIS ARTICLE REALLY AMAZED ME

www.pricececilhomes.com

www.priceharfordhomes.com

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Tony and Suzanne Marriott, Associate Brokers

Serving the Greater Phoenix and Scottsdale Metropolitan Area - Scottsdale, AZ

Coldwell Banker Realty

We always have a home inspection by a licensed, bonded and insured Home Inspector for each property we LIST, as well as ensuring our Buyers always have an inspection - whether resale or new construction.

Mar 12, 2007 01:32 PM

Timothy Schwartz

Century 21 Mack Morris Iris Lurie - Marlboro Twp, NJ

I always recommend a home inspection, however most inspectors cap their liability to the price of their service which is usually only $350.00

Mar 12, 2007 01:38 PM

Lenn Harley

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate - Leesburg, VA

Real Estate Broker - Virginia & Maryland

My experience is that the home inspection is not usually the problem in diffkcult cases. Nor is the home inspector. It's listing agents who don't respond timely or sellers who have the attitude that "if this house was good enough for me it's good enough for you."

But, $300-400 is not too much to pay for the opportunity to find defects. You surely cannot rely on the seller's disclosure.

I want buyer to have a home inspection if I have to pay for it myself.

Mar 12, 2007 01:45 PM

Bob Sloop, Consultant, Indianapolis, IN

RS Mortgage Consulting - Indianapolis, IN

Hey there, good post, lets face it, anyone who does not get a home inspected, wow, I won't even go there. It's just a smart move to do so. Good for you posting this.

Mar 12, 2007 01:53 PM

Robert McArtor

RE/MAX Components - Fallston Maryland - Bel Air, MD

Top Listing Agent for Baltimore and Harford County

Not sure how this article got turned around to "It's the listing agents fault" but anyhow, good article Gloria! Keep up the good posts!

Mar 12, 2007 03:58 PM

Bob Elliott

Elliott Home Inspection - Chicago, IL

Chicago Property Inspection

Good going Gloria you hit the nail on the head. If I bought a car and never checked under the hood I would deserve any problems or repairs that came up. But my friends, relatives or even strangers would tell me I was a fool not to at least take a look. So how is it someone's going to spend the largest amount ever paid for anything in their lives someone would recommend don't get it checked. Even home inspectors when buying property will often hire other inspectors to have a third person uninterested party viewpoint.

Mar 13, 2007 02:12 AM

Gary Johnson

Prudential Carruthers - Laurel, MD

The person who responded to that is partially insane. What if your seller is someone who has no clue about anything house related and doens't know that there is a defect. Therefore he could not disclose it and if your client didn't hire an inspector life would not be good.

Mar 13, 2007 02:39 AM

Anonymous

Steve Shore (www.housewiz.com)

I am a home inspector. Over 3000 buildings and 14 years later, I often find the equvilant of my fee by the time I finish the roof (which is where most problems are found). Most owners don't even look at their roofs, let alone go up on one. Many roofers understand this and leave their unprofessional signatures all over the rooftops in my county. And the roof is the 1st part of the house I look at. By the end of a 2 hour inspection, the potential buyer is thrilled that I took the time to educate them, talk about cause and effect, draw sketches explaining my commentary, locate the main utility shut-offs, turn on heating systems, check for plumbing leaks, remove electric panel covers and expose the occasional mouse nest, operate all the appliances, verify all kitchen, bath, and clothes dryer vents reach the outside air. etc. All for around $300 bucks. Honestly, it's the best deal in town. And don't let Uncle Bob or a contractor friend attempt to fill the shoes of a real inspector. Most of the issues I find are a result of poor design, installation, material selection, water infiltration, wood boring insect, and neglect. Look for the inspector that causes the real estate agent's knees to knock at the mention of his/her name. "Deal Killer" is a common name given to an insepctor that is thorough. Actually, it's the owner/seller that kills most deals by not employing adequate and routine maintenance. A one hundred year old house can be in great shape.....or not. It all depends on who takes care of it.

Mar 14, 2007 09:57 AM

Anonymous

Anyone who buys a house without having it inspected is foolish. I signed a contract to buy a house. The owner and I negotiated a price. I had a 10-day option period. During that period I had the house thoroughly inspected. The house had a broken rafter, with 2 x 4's supporting the roof. (I've never seen 2 x 4's bowed like that.) The seller did not disclose this on the disclosure. In addition, the inspector detected moisture in the front part of the house, we noticed the ceiling had been patched (we had to look very close). On the disclosure the seller said that he replaced galvanized pipe with PVC pipe, but he did not disclose that there had been a water leak in the house. I had a chance to meet and talk with the seller after the inspection. It became apparent that he knew all about the water leak and the structural problems in the roof. In fact, he put the supporting 2 x 4s in himself.

The foundation was not level. There was a large crack in the brick mortar on the side of the house. (If you pushed on the bricks the wall moved!)

The inspector's estimated it would cost roughly $14,000 to repair all the problems he found.

As Ms. Price wrote, some sellers will flat out lie! If you buy a house without getting it inspected, you are setting yourself up for major expenses, maybe even health problems.

This is the second house on which I've had to cancel a buy contract because the inspector found major problems. In the first house, there was a lot of water penetration. In that case, I do not know if the seller was aware of the problems. I do know that when the inspector moved the seller's sofa it was obvious the wood floor was saturated. The wood was buckled.

Nov 10, 2009 12:12 PM