When you purchase a home, you’ll likely want to get a home inspection. This is a very thorough review of all the working systems of the property, including electrical, plumbing and heating, among others. And it ensures you aren’t buying someone else’s problems.
If there are challenges with the property, now is the time to find them, so that you can raise them with the seller. Your sales contract should offer you the option of getting a home inspection.
If there isn’t one, ask the seller why, and explain that you’d like it added. If the seller is hesitant and you have concerns about the condition of the property, consider paying for an inspection yourself.
If issues do turn up during the home inspection, you’ll likely want them addressed before you move ahead with the process of purchasing the property.
The seller isn’t obligated to address any of the concerns you have, but if the issues are significant, and more than you are prepared to deal with yourself, you have the right to walk away from the property.
If you are prepared to handle the issues identified through your home inspection, you can often negotiate the repairs into the deal as a price reduction or seller’s credit. This, of course, hinges on how motivated the seller is.
To find a good home inspector, use your network: Ask your friends or family, your mortgage professional, or your real estate agent to recommend an inspector they may have used or worked with.