So you’ve found the perfect house. Now what?
After your offer has been accepted, the next stage in your home buying process will be the inspection. For those of you not familiar with those, it’s pretty much like a check-up at the doctor but for your house. Easy enough, right? Well it can be if you know what to look out for. Here are the top 4 things to know about home inspections.
1. How it works
Your agent should recommend a reputable home inspection company for you to reach out to. Once you’ve contacted them, you’ll work to find a time that works for them and the seller. The inspector will go through the entire house looking for any issues that may be present. This will take 2-3 hours.
2. Cost
For a whole home inspection (recommended), the total cost can range from $350 to $500. Now before you get all worked up about that costing too much remember that the inspectors are there to save you from much worse. Without them, you could find yourself living in a money pit.
3. What to ask for
You’ll be tempted to ask for everything and the moon, but it’s important to keep the major items in mind and not to be distracted by minor cosmetic repairs. You’ll want to focus on the major items such as: foundation, roof, electrical, plumbing and HVAC system.
4. Negotiating repairs
When negotiating the repairs, you can decide to lower the sale price, have the repairs compensated for or provide a closing cost allowance. Sellers are not allowed by law to give you cash to have the repairs done yourself. On a side note, since interest rates are so low right now, for every $1000 lowered on your sales price it would decrease an average of only $5 off your monthly mortgage payment. So if you got $1000 of closing costs instead of repairs it would take 16 years for you to make up that amount if you saved $5 on your monthly payment from lowering the price. So it’s better to get a closing cost allowance instead of paying your closing cost out of pocket!
So there you have it. Inspections can be a stressful deal but having the right agent will make all the difference. If you’re thinking about purchasing a home in the near future, send me a note. I’d love to hear from you.
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