SO, YOU HAVE A 62-PAGE REPORT, GREAT NOW WHAT!
Nearly every home inspection—even those on new homes—will turn up some issues.
Almost ⅓ of my inspections are on new homes
It is important to pick your battles when it comes to repairs requested from a home inspection. There are only so many repairs most sellers are willing to commit to – especially in a seller’s market and/or during short inventory
Things to let go
- Under $100. Let it go
- Things under $100, in general, are deferred maintenance unless it is a major safety issue or greatly diminishes the functionality of the Home
- Things on the Sellers Disclosure
- If the seller disclosed it, it is inappropriate to ask for it to be fixed because the Inspector also found it. The buyer knew about it before the inspection.
- Things the Buyer and Agent noticed
- If you know about it it should be taken into account on the original offer
- Detached Structures
- Sheds, Detached Garages and so on. They are not normally included in a home inspection unless stated
- Cosmetic Issues
- A deck needs staining, touching up paint, so on.
- Crack In Basement Floor
- The cracks are purely aesthetic. In fact, if you are purchasing a home that doesn’t have a few cracks you’re lucky.
DEAL BREAKERS
- Major foundation issues
- Foundation issues are a huge undertaking to repair and it tops the list of home-buying deal breakers
- Radon Tests High (and no mitigation)
- Radon needs to be in the guidelines set forth by the EPA. Eliminating this risk is easy through professional mitigation
- Asbestos
- Unless disturbed, asbestos isn’t usually problematic. Asbestos insulation around pipes that is friable [crumbling] is a serious health issue and should be remediated prior to closing.
- Aluminum wiring
- If your potential home has it, it could mean big trouble.
- Buried oil tanks
- Before electrical heating came along, some homes had oil tanks buried in the backyard to funnel fuel to the house during winter.
- Polybutylene plumbing pipes
- These pipes had their heyday as a cheap alternative to copper in the ’80s, but it didn’t last long.
- Upgrades without permits
- It can be a very bad thing if the homeowner in charge had a DIY streak and a problem with authority.
- Major Structural Issues
- A leaking roof or substantial building violations.
