How Your Home Inspection Can Help You Negotiate A Better Offer
Posted on: 25 March 2015
A home inspection can bring to light issues that can help you negotiate a better deal. You may not feel you need one, but here are some things you should consider before you make an offer on a home.
Should You Get an Inspection?
The first question that many people have is whether they should get an inspection before or after deciding to make an offer. It always helps to have some information before making an offer.
Additionally, in many situations, the seller may already have had an inspection completed. This does not mean that you should forego your own inspection. If you are dealing with a real estate agency, they may have an inspection contractor on deck already. It's up to you whether you would choose to use that service or not. You should, however, take a moment to consider hiring your own inspection service. Just know that an inspection is not a perfect overview of possible problems.
What to Expect from Your Inspection
An inspector can give you the broad strokes of the home's condition, even if the service misses some of the smaller or hidden issues. Keep in mind that these inspections are usually visual. This means the inspectors will only take note of what they see.
Some things are not covered
Not all inspections cover everything that you might think. Some inspection services will check the HVAC system, but only to see if they're working. Most inspectors won't give the system a full diagnostic. Remember the inspector is not a specialist. He or she won't take things apart or test anything like an expert would.
If you want, and have the means, you can opt for more specialized inspections. For example, you can hire a roofer to let you know everything you need to know about the roof. You can hire a plumber to do a full test of your pipes and septic system.
After the Inspection, Hire a Real Estate Lawyer
What an inspection will give you is more intimate knowledge of the property. Armed with that knowledge, you can go back to negotiating with the seller. You can request repairs or a lower price. It's also at this point that you may want to involve a real estate lawyer if you haven't hired one already.
A lawyer, like Bangs McCullen Butler Foye & Simmons LLP, can take the information supplied by the inspector and negotiate aggressively on your behalf. He or she will know better what each defect can mean for your budget and help you make a better offer with these things factored into it.
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