So you found the house of your dreams. You’re going through the mortgage process, and you’ve had the home inspected. The seller has agreed to certain fixes and later told you they were made.
How sure are you that these pictures of in fact been made?
In many cases you don’t.
That’s why it’s important to have the inspection company that did the original work in your house go back and make sure, according to their expertise, those repairs have been made and made correctly.Most home buyers don’t have a re-inspection done. This means that most of them don’t get the full benefits of having a professional look at the condition of these very expensive purchase. This is not the place to scrimp.
Often times, none of the professionals involved in helping yoy buy a home wants this to happen because it gobbles up time at that critical stage in the deal when the property is about to close. The sellers don’t like it; the lender doesn’t like it; sometimes even your own agent doesn’t like it.
When the inspection team finds something that’s unsafe, not working properly, or could be a problem in the future, that could require that the seller send in workers to make sure those items are addressed. That also could require a subsequent inspection and more time. All of this could delay the close, and that’s why the players in this transaction don’t like it.
The buyer won’t like one part of it: Subsequent inspections can cost up to $150 for just one.
Many inspection companies offer a package deal in the beginning, and those that don’t generally will perform the job for less than the original inspection because there are fewer things to look at. Those companies that regularly include a second inspection regularly find that the promised repairs are not completed, or have substandard repairs. (Find out before hiring the inspection company if a second inspection is possible, even included, and how much it cost if not.)
Imagine what will happen if the HVAC fails to work during the initial home inspection. The seller then might claim that it has been repaired. If the unit fails during the walk-through, that will delay closing on the real estate.. Worse, if it passes that and fails later, well. Mr. and Mrs. Buyer now have an expensive repair on their hands — one that warranty companies frequently won’t cover because it wasn’t repaired. Now you have a legal, financial, and logistical nightmare to navigate (not to mention a broken AC.)
Another advantage of a re-inspection: Tell everyone up front that you’re planning on ordering one, and they are more likely to have it fixed right the first time.
