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Always Get A Home Inspection When You Buy A Home
By Ryan Ward | August 28, 2007
This week, Lydia Taylor with Meybohm REALTORS from Augusta, GA is our guest author and she brings some recommendations about whether or not you should get a home inspection on a home that you are purchasing. I think this one is very important and I’m not sure I can think of any home that you should not get inspected except for a tear down and that is a topic for another post! If you have an interest in Augusta, GA real estate, make sure you contact Lydia at (706) 739-1020.
A good REALTOR will always recommend that you get a home inspection- no matter what! Even if you are interested in buying a ’sold as is’ or a new construction home, getting a home inspection is imperative. Home inspections can head off the heartache of ending up with a home that is a lemon.
Your REALTOR may tell you an insider tip - New construction homes always seem to have more problems than a lived in home, just because no one has lived there yet to find and fix them. I have heard this statement many times, “Why would I get a home inspection for a newly constructed house? The home will be under the builder’s warranty!” My response is that you do not want to try to enforce the warranty after the roof leaks. It’s too late then! The best approach is to recognize that warranties on homes are helpful- but it’s best to not worry about using a warranty at all.
I encourage my buyers to get a home inspection for ‘sold as is’ homes as well. Even though the seller has declared they won’t fix anything, you should still identify the problems. The reason is simple- there may be something there that you are just not willing to deal with. How about mold or foundation problems? With an inspection you can insulate yourself from purchasing a home with extreme problems.
The typical home inspection will cost you about $300-$400. (This price may go up depending on the size of the home.) This one small investment can prevent you from major worries. Why risk thousands of dollars to save a few hundred?
Home warranties are a great safety net, and I encourage my clients to get one whenever possible. However, it’s not a replacement for a ‘boots on the ground’ inspection by an expert. Keep in mind that even with the best warranty, you will be reliant on getting someone to follow up on their word. And in the case of a major problem, time may be of the essence. You certainly don’t want to have to wait on someone to get something fixed in an emergency.
For existing homes, your REALTOR will be able to recommend a good home inspector and a good home warranty, so if you need help make sure and ask. They can also provide information about the builder’s warranty if you are buying a newly constructed home. Your REALTOR is there to help you, so make sure you get your money’s worth!
Guest blogger Lydia Taylor is a REALTOR in Augusta Georgia. In addition to her articles on the ‘Elegant Augusta Real Estate Blog‘, her website offers the most powerful MLS search available in Augusta GA.
Topics: Atlanta Real Estate |
August 28th, 2007 at 11:44 pm
I don’t understand the need to have REALTOR capitalized. I feel like I’m being yelled at each time somebody says REALTOR. I understand it’s a marketing GIMMICK to capitalize words for EFFECT, but it’s more ANNOYING to read.
August 29th, 2007 at 6:10 am
Mark,
I agree, I think it is ridiculous that we have to capitalize the word, but, it’s actually not done for effect (at least I don’t capitalize it for effect). We actually have to as that is the correct way to write it accordong to the National Association of Realtors and the word is registered as such.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:32 am
Ryan - in Texas there are two other important inspections to be done. One is the WDI (wood destroying insects - termites) inspection. The other is septic if the house isn’t on a sewer system and about 1/3 of Texas homes have septic. The price of an inspection is nothing compared to the cost of potential repairs later.
August 31st, 2007 at 2:51 pm
I agree with mark about having to capitalize REALTOR but understand that we have to abide by the rules. Though I find myself slipping much of the time and just capitalizing the R.
September 1st, 2007 at 2:23 am
It would be nice if NAR got rid of the capitalization rule. It would probably help us a group to not be screaming REALTOR all over the web.
September 1st, 2007 at 10:05 am
I think there should be an update on the use of REALTOR. Now that the internet is here, its considered rude to type in all caps, as its seen as shouting/screaming. And being rude is probably the opposite of what NAR would like for it be associated with.
September 1st, 2007 at 12:07 pm
Not to mention, I think that it looks too self important…We don’t even capitalize PRESIDENT like that. I think if it just said Realtor® it would be more presentable, get the point across better and not come off like it is more impoertant than all other words.
September 1st, 2007 at 5:57 pm
I agree, everytime I read something with capital letters, I tend to scream that word in my head. I agree with Ryan, let’s stick with Realtor®
September 1st, 2007 at 10:17 pm
I’m with Summit, I just about always just capitalize the R, besides it does look ridiculous using all caps.
September 2nd, 2007 at 1:40 pm
It’s strange that when a word is written in all capitals, it comes off as ’shouting’. I agree the rule about the word ‘Realtor’ is pretty stupid.
Thanks Ryan for giving us the opportunity to post on your blog and next time you have a spare article to post, give us a shout. We’d love to have you as a guest author over at the Elegant Augusta Blog.
Take care and have a nice Labor Day weekend. Lydia’s out showing homes Saturday and today, so she’s hoping somebody takes up the slack on the relaxation front. I’m doing what I can, lol.
September 6th, 2007 at 2:44 pm
Let’s just leave ALL the caps out and write “realtor.” There, I did it. Someone can report me for it. In fact, why don’t you call the police!
Capping “realtor” just adds to the public’s perception that realtors have an inflated sense of self-importance.
September 7th, 2007 at 7:26 pm
I can’t believe anyone would buy a home without having it inspected. There was a bank repo here in Las Vegas that was sold as is. The person who bought, found out later that the prior owner had poured cement down the toilet drains. They had to jackhammer out both bathrooms to get to the pipes.
September 10th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
Richey, you’d be surprised. I’ve had several clients in the past wave the inspection, however I made sure to get there signature stating that I highly recommended them getting one.
September 12th, 2007 at 11:27 am
Lydia,
Awesome blog post. Well thought out. I find that in almost all cases my clients at least break even with the home inspection after we request repairs from the seller. In some cases inspectors I’ve used have found defects in the home that would have cost my buyers thousands of dollars later on. Money well spent for sure.
September 12th, 2007 at 8:56 pm
Great blog post. Always recommend a home inspection for your clients. I have had a few clients who went without one even though I strongly recommended otherwise. One of them regretted it in a big way.
September 14th, 2007 at 11:35 am
Richard, I can’t believe someone would gamble like that for a few hundred bucks, when they are spending several hundred thousand.
September 15th, 2007 at 9:10 am
You know the old saying, Penny rich and dollar dumb.
September 17th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
Getting buyers to get inspections on new construction is a real pain. The payoff is the priceless expression as they realize that new doesn’t correlate to perfect.
November 11th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
Great Post! I ALWAYS push for the inspections, sometimes even more so on new construction. I several parts of east Tennessee, mainly in the county, there are no builind codes or enforcement. Electrical and plumbing, thats it. I have incorporated a home inspection into my listing pitch for all listings that I take on. It works well and brings any/all issues to the surface in the beginning.
December 13th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
I enjoyed reading the post. I make it a point stress the importance of an inspection to my buyers.