Must-Know Risks When Skipping the Home Inspection
Whether you’re in the market to buy a second home or buying for the first time, you should get a home inspection done. Skipping the inspection opens up the very real possibility of purchasing a lot of buyer’s remorse. Here are some of the biggest risks of not getting a home inspection that you need to know!
Safety Issues
There are plenty of safety issues you might not discover without a home inspection. Mold, radon, and carbon monoxide are just a few of many safety issues you need to know about before you proceed with the purchase and take possession of a property.
Negotiation Tool
If material defects or small problems are found during a home inspection, a buyer can use these to his or her advantage by negotiating the selling price, repair costs, and/or share of closing costs. Without knowing, it will be the buyer in most cases, who will have to deal with any problems well after the seller is out of the picture.
Future Repairs or Replacements
Even if you’re buying a home in “as-is” condition, whether it’s a newly built property, a short sale, or a foreclosure, a home inspection is crucial to put you in-the-know about the house’s true condition. At the very least, even if the inspection report is positive, an inspector can alert you to probable future repair or replacement scenarios.
Up to Code Standards
While it’s not something home buyers are generally concerned about, unpermitted work can present sizable problems. Experienced home inspectors often detect telltale signs of DIY work and it can be further investigated to check if it’s legal and meets local building code standards.
Legal Contractual Issues
One of the biggest benefits of a home inspection is it gives the buyer a legal contractual out through a contingency clause. However, if you forgo a home inspection, you’ll have fewer options to legally walk away with your earnest money deposit.
The Down-Low on Down Payments
While a 20 percent down payment is considered ideal, it’s not actually as common as you might think, nor is it a necessity to buying a home.
5 Ways to Build Healthy Credit
A strong credit score is important if you want to buy a house one day. Whether you’re new to credit or want to see your score go even higher, here are some expert tips on building healthy credit!
4 Tips for Long-Distance House Hunting
Searching for a house locally can present its challenges, but it can become infinitely more complicated when you add in hundreds of miles to the equation.