Realizing that each side ultimately wants the same thing\u2014and that you can work together toward closing a deal\u2014should set all parties more at ease. Start with these 6 home inspection tips for buyers that offer hidden lessons for sellers, too.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not enough to tell the seller of a house verbally that you plan to get the house inspected before closing. You\u2019ll need to work with your agent to make sure it\u2019s written into the contract as a contingency clause<\/a>, which \u201cdefines a condition or action that must be met for a real estate contract to become binding,\u201d according to Investopedia.<\/p>\n The inspection contingency clause in particular allows a buyer to stipulate that they have a certain amount of time (typically 10-14 days) to inspect the property after both parties sign the purchase offer. This gives the buyer the chance to back out of the deal and get their earnest money back if they can\u2019t come to an agreement on repair negotiations.<\/p>\n In the event that you\u2019re buying the house from a friend<\/a> or relative\u2014or trying to compete in a hot market with fierce buyer competition\u2014you might be tempted to waive the inspection.<\/p>\n Bad idea\u2014says Frank Lesh<\/a>, who also has inspected houses since 1989 and is the executive director ASHI. \u201cUnfortunately, that could be a serious mistake,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Even if a seller isn\u2019t deliberately hiding something, some maintenance issues aren\u2019t apparent to an untrained eye.<\/p>\n Jesus Cardenas<\/a>, a top-selling agent in Pembroke Pines, Florida<\/a>, echoes that inspections are always part of the contract in the West Broward County area, where he works. \u201cAll properties are sold as is with the right to inspect within the first 10 days,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n 95% of purchased homes<\/a> go through an inspection before closing so there\u2019s very little chance that you\u2019ll wiggle out of this step. The only exception may be in a white-hot market where buyers are clamoring to compete, giving you all the power to sell \u201cas is\u201d for market value (but it\u2019s rare).<\/p>\n Because the inspection is written in as a contingency, you should know your options when it comes to repair negotiations: agree to fix the issue, offer a credit to the buyer at closing, or refuse to take action with the risk that the buyer could walk away with their earnest money.<\/p>\n The upside of a home inspection is that it puts everything out in the open. Both sides know what a property\u2019s problems are and can negotiate with all facts on the table. For more tips on what\u2019s the right call in varying negotiation scenarios, check out HomeLight\u2019s guide: \u201cFix it or Fight It?\u201d<\/a> which is all about how to handle repair requests before closing.<\/p>\n Many agents will suggest a pre-listing home inspection to either tackle maintenance issues early or give buyers a heads-up about certain issues, creating transparency. Cardenas, for instance, incorporates an inspection into his pre-listing routine because his area has a lot of 1990s homes with Spanish-tile roofs near the end of their life expectancy.<\/p>\n One such inspection found that a client\u2019s roof had perhaps one or two years\u2019 life left. Cardenas knew a roofing company that his client hired to perform about $6,000 worth of repairs, plus provide certification of another year on the life of the roof. \u201cThe seller was a nervous wreck, but you know what? The inspection went through completely fine,\u201d he said. \u201cWe sold the place to the first buyer.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019d rather know of any problems upfront than have the buyer\u2019s inspector unearth a surprise maintenance issue.<\/p>\n Although a home inspection report is detailed, it doesn\u2019t cover every nook, creak, and cranny.<\/p>\n \u201cOne expectation that first-time buyers have is that the inspector is going to find everything <\/i>wrong with the house\u2014and that\u2019s not the case. We\u2019re there as a guest of the owner, so we\u2019re limited in our ability to inspect things,\u201d Lesh said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t tear behind the wall to see if there\u2019s a leak behind the bathroom faucet or the bathtub. We can\u2019t take things apart to see why the dishwasher is making a funny sound. Other than removing the electrical panel, we don\u2019t move furniture or appliances.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n So if there\u2019s a sectional sofa in front of the living room windows, for example, the inspector may not be able to reach all the windows to test if one sticks.<\/p>\n The inspection report assesses a home\u2019s condition. It\u2019s not a report card on how good a homeowner you\u2019ve been or a \u201cpass or fail\u201d test<\/a>. You may be used to your home and its quirks, but a buyer isn\u2019t, so try not to take anything in the report personally\u2014and remember, minor things will always crop up.<\/p>\n \u201cListen, you\u2019re buying a 30-year-old home \u2026 even a ten-year-old home or brand-new construction<\/a>, you\u2019re going to have issues. Every house has an issue,\u201d Cardenas said.<\/p>\n Trust your agent to help weed through what\u2019s minor and what\u2019s a potential deal-breaker<\/a>.<\/p>\n When buyers pay for the home inspection, it\u2019s fairly standard for them to watch the inspector at work. \u201cThe first thing I always do is I ask what their concerns are. Maybe they had an issue with a previous house, so they\u2019re sensitive to that,\u201d Lesh said.<\/p>\n Although he also explains that he needs elbow room\u2014he might go into and out of the house several times, crouch down to examine something, and make sudden stops\u2014he\u2019s glad to answer any questions the buyer has.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll still get a report, but it\u2019s easier to understand a problem when I can explain it to you, and you see what the issue is,\u201d Lesh said.<\/p>\n Although buyers need this opportunity, a seller already knows the home\u2014and more often than not can get in the way.<\/p>\n Lesh and Cardenas both have had experiences with buyers clashing with sellers who became defensive or emotional during the inspection.<\/p>\n Let your agent supervise the inspection and tell you what the inspector found. (If you\u2019ve had a pre-listing inspection or a maintenance inspection done recently, you\u2019ll already know what\u2019s in store.)<\/p>\n The home inspection can trigger some delicate negotiations over a property\u2019s flaws<\/a>. For each, a buyer can request that the seller hire a contractor to fix it, obtain a credit (a reduction in the purchase price) toward fixing it themselves, or let it be. Sellers can opt for either or simply reject both and negotiate from there, although that puts the transaction at risk of the buyer walking away.<\/p>\n Sellers should repair major structural issues or safety problems, such as a dated roof or any requirements for a government-backed mortgage like an FHA loan<\/a>, or offer credit if they don\u2019t have the funds. Cosmetic imperfections, such as chipped paint or peeling wallpaper, can be left to the buyers to handle once they purchase the property.<\/p>\n \u201cMost of the time, a seller will say, \u2018No, I\u2019m not going to give you a credit because the door doesn\u2019t close properly,\u201d Cardenas said.<\/p>\n If your electrical system, appliances, or water heater are older, talk to your agent about offering a service contract to sweeten the deal. Cardenas said these cost about $300 a year and reassure sellers that any repairs that might arise after closing will be covered. \u201cThat takes away a lot of problems,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n While not essential, this can help verify any amenities the seller’s advertising, such as a new roof. \u201cIf the receipts are out, I\u2019ll look at them,\u201d Lesh said. \u201cI think it\u2019s a good thing for a seller to do if they actually did have work done.\u201d<\/p>\n You might already have your receipts handy for a home appraiser<\/a>, so it doesn\u2019t hurt to let a home inspector view them, too, as well as your agent. \u201cIf the buyer asked for the documents about the repairs, and it was recently [done], then it\u2019s better to give them to me,\u201d Cardenas said.<\/p>\n Although home inspectors are trained and certified to assess several parts of a home, they also can specialize in what are called \u201cancillary inspections,\u201d or more detailed reviews focusing on individual components.<\/p>\n If they don\u2019t have the right expertise themselves, general inspectors might refer the buyer to specialty inspectors who can more accurately assess components such as the home\u2019s foundation or signs of termites. These types of specialty inspections are an additional fee.<\/p>\n Depending on where you live, radon inspections are a common one for home buyers to get, Lesh said. This colorless, odorless gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States<\/a>, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Radon comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in rock, soil, and water, so any home can have a radon problem, the EPA says. However, people tend to think of radon testing more readily in homes that use well water or that have basements.<\/p>\n Other specialty inspections include termite or pest inspections<\/a>, swimming pool inspections, and well or sewer scans, where they insert a special camera into the sewer line underground to make sure the pipe is functional.<\/p>\n![\"Papers](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/home-inspection-tips-for-buyers-paper.jpg\")
<\/a>Tip #1: Make the inspection official by writing it in as a contract contingency.<\/h2>\n
What that means for sellers:<\/h3>\n
Tip #2: Temper your expectations for a perfect inspection.<\/h2>\n
What that means for sellers:<\/h3>\n
![\"Buyers](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/home-inspection-tips-for-buyers-tour.jpg\")
<\/a>Tip #3: Be prepared to attend the inspection and ask lots of questions.<\/h2>\n
What that means for sellers:<\/h3>\n
Tip #4: Know when to ask for a repair, take a credit, or leave it be.<\/h2>\n
What that means for sellers:<\/h3>\n
Tip #5: Request documentation to prove completed repairs.<\/h2>\n
What that means for sellers:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/home-inspection-tips-for-buyers-pest.jpg\")
<\/a>Tip #6: Now\u2019s your chance to get specialty inspections, too.<\/h2>\n