What Not To Do With Home Inspections

Home inspections are a vital step in the real estate transactional process. After a home inspection, you will know exactly what you are buying. You may learn about a few things that may need to be fixed, either before or after you buy it. You may also find yourself dealing with some major problems, allowing you to walk away from the offer, knowing it wasn’t going to be a good buy.

There are some things that you need to know about home inspections, including what you should and shouldn’t do. Here are some things that you shouldn’t do.

Don’t get in their way

While you are entitled to follow the inspector around the house, you don’t want to get in his or her way. Inspectors have a tried and true flow and pattern to conducting their inspections. Interfering, pestering, or standing over their shoulder may distract them from their duties and may result in missing something critical. You are encouraged to walk through sections of the home with the inspector when they are ready for you to do so.  Stay by your inspector’s side and watch what is going on, without getting in the way.

Don’t be afraid to negotiate with the seller

Once you get the final report, it is time to renegotiate the contract. That being said, you don’t want to annoy the sellers because you have a really long list of things that need to be fixed. There are going to be some things that you can do yourself, once you move in. Stick with the major problems and don’t get nit-picky over little things.

If you are planning on painting or renovating a room, don’t worry about the things that need to be fixed in that room. Maybe you can ask for the hole to be patched, but let them know that you are planning on repainting the room anyway.

Don’t ask for upgrades

You also want to know the difference between repairs and upgrades. When going back and forth with the sellers, you are going to want them to make repairs and not upgrades. If something is going to need to be replaced in a year or two, you shouldn’t ask for an upgrade. You can either let it finish out it’s life or you can upgrade it whenever you decide to. Not only that, but you shouldn’t ask for better appliances, just because you want ones that save energy. You can easily make those changes when you move in.

Once you have your inspection report, it is time to start negotiating. However, you need to decide whether or not it is worth walking away from the house. This is especially true if you are going to repaint and put new carpet down. Why would you waste their time and money? You also can’t ask for upgrades just because you want better appliances.

For more information regarding the process after you receive a report, call the experts at Bee Sure Home Inspection Services. We are the area’s leading provider of detailed reports, giving you the tools to make the next step in your real estate purchase. We proudly serve Libertyville, Vernon Hills, IL & surrounding areas!