Help!!!! First time home buyer in Cali

[MikeyC]

Originally Posted by mrreindeer

Yikes! Just remember that getting that home inspection helps a lot, but didn't help us with that damn leak. The inspection doesn't guarantee you won't have any problems, it just lets you know what might need addressing before you take ownership.

Could the house collapse after inspection and the day you move in? Sure, but those inspectors (the good ones) do a good job at detecting the issues.

It was our choice to stick with the house we wanted and accept the $1,500 drop in price to 'take care of the leak'. To do over again, I would have demanded that they continue fixing the leak instead of telling us that they've tried & okay, we'll take off $1,500 for you to do the rest. We bought in a seller's market, though, had lost the first house because of a terrible realtor we used before finding the good one and did have another couple bidding with us. It was either them or us on this one too and we chose to bite the bullet and take on the problem.

You make the choices as they're presented to you. If there are too many issues that you'd rather not address, you're in the right place because there are plenty of other homes out there.

Home Inspectors can only point problems. They're kind of "jack of all trades master of none" kind of guys. I don't know how it works in CA, but here in MA after you have your initial inspection you're allowed to have follow up inspections as long as it is within the inspection period designated in the offer. This is a good time to bring in contractors who are experts in these areas and will give you a much more accurate idea of how much it will cost to fix an issue found during the initial inspection. In fact, here in MA most home inspectors will not even risk venturing a guess as to repair costs as they are not experts in the matter and are afraid of a lawsuit.

Also, as a realtor, I never advise my clients to allow the homeowner to fix any issues from the inspection unless it's something as simple as a squeaky door. Call in a contractor during the inspection period, get an accurate estimate of how much it will be to fix, and negotiate a credit for closing costs equal to the repair cost. Mainly I tell people this because the homeowner will have the problem fixed in the absolute cheapest, shoddy manner possible. So, it's better to get the money and fix it yourself after.

[RGD.]

Originally Posted by MikeyC

Home Inspectors can only point problems. They're kind of "jack of all trades master of none" kind of guys. I don't know how it works in CA, but here in MA after you have your initial inspection you're allowed to have follow up inspections as long as it is within the inspection period designated in the offer. This is a good time to bring in contractors who are experts in these areas and will give you a much more accurate idea of how much it will cost to fix an issue found during the initial inspection. In fact, here in MA most home inspectors will not even risk venturing a guess as to repair costs as they are not experts in the matter and are afraid of a lawsuit.

Also, as a realtor, I never advise my clients to allow the homeowner to fix any issues from the inspection unless it's something as simple as a squeaky door. Call in a contractor during the inspection period, get an accurate estimate of how much it will be to fix, and negotiate a credit for closing costs equal to the repair cost. Mainly I tell people this because the homeowner will have the problem fixed in the absolute cheapest, shoddy manner possible. So, it's better to get the money and fix it yourself after.

Don't mean to harp on this subject - and I will stop after this - it's just that I see this constantly in my line of work. Make sure the home inspector is certified with "The American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI)". In most any area all a person has to do is print up a business card and call themselves a home inspector. And once they identify there is a problem - as suggested above - call a contractor. In my line of foundation and structural repairs - most inspectors can say there is a problem but they don't normally know how to fix or the cause or the cost.

Anyway -

Ron