You have your future house under contract…next you get the home inspected.  You see the report and it reads in a language you don’t understand but all you can tell is it looks BAD!  Ahhhh…

Okay, first…Breathe.  It’s okay, relax…let’s review.

* Don’t worry when you read ….”appears serviceable”

What does that mean?   Sounds like “needs work” but actually it means from brand new to works fine.  No problem there.

* Another scary phrase is “Hire a licenced qualified professional”

Again, relax, this does not mean “watch out the house might fall down!!”  It would mean, if this is item concerns you, the inspector is not qualified to give you more info for liability purposes.  If some base board needs caulk, it’s probably safe to say you don’t have to contact a general contractor, ask a handy man.  Now, if there is water leaking out of the light fixtures…okay that would be a little more serious.  

Take each item into consideration, ask friends or family members what they think about the report and most importantly, talk to you Realtor about your options/recommendations.  Sleep on it, you don’t have to make any rash decision right away, just give it some time.  Take the inspection to the house and walk around seeing the items mentioned yourself.

Click here to read article “Don’t freak out when you get back inspection results”

* My Suggestion to sellers:

When you are about to put your home on the market get a “pre-home inspection” done on your house.  They typically are less than $300.00 but this is a great value being that it could save a deal involving thousands of dollars from falling through.  You will already have a good idea of any issues that might scare a buyer off and you can make any appropriate changes before hand.  Do keep in mind that different inspectors might find different items.

If you have any other questions about the home buying process, feel free to email me or give us a call at the office.  We are happy to help!

Thanks for reading.

Shaheen Hangval
Broker Associate/EcoBroker with Blue Ribbon Properties

835 Main Ave. Suite # 214
Office: 970-247-8388 Fax: 970-247-8360
Shaheen’s Cell: 970-769-2441