Comments on: Buyer Due Diligence - Code Red

By: Rebecca Levinson

Rebecca Levinson — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 18:14:22 +0000

That’s hilar…and you are right, there are many home inspections where the crack in the sidewalk would seem equally important on the report to a roof that needs reshingling.

Having worked in a real estate attorney’s office for nearly a decade I have seen my share of home inspection reports. In our office, it wasn’t normally the real estate agents who hashed out the home inspection repairs, but rather the attorney’s, legally and with blunt honesty of their rights to the homebuyers.

One thing that helped me when I bought my home was I had a home inspector who was a licensed structural engineer. He focused on the true mechanical, heating and cooling deficiencies as well as the structure. The other more oddball things were left as mere mentions with recomendations to repair in the near future. My point: Not all home inspectors are created equally.

By: Kris Berg

Kris Berg — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 15:03:33 +0000

Phil, The key is having the buyers present at the final summary phase. Otherwise, statements like “shower pan junctions needs resealing to prevent water from penetrating, thereby causing home to (under the weight of mold, boils, locusts, name your plague) subsequently fall down” will tend to result in requests for the bathroom to be entirely reconstructed when a $5 caulking gun would suffice.

Tara, Light bulbs - Those are classic! “Fixtures in hall, master bath and front porch are inoperable. Health and safety item. (The bulbs have burned out. Oh, the horror!) Patio pavers when wet pose a slip hazard. Heath and safety item. (Maybe you shouldn’t be break dancing in the rain.) And, by the way, there is a wholly mammoth living in your main supply line. Recommend regular maintenance.”

Apella - Manny, Mo and Jack. At first, I left them there as a test for the woman who comes to our home each week under the pretext of cleaning it. Now, I have grown rather fond of them.

By: Phil Hoover

Phil Hoover — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 14:42:41 +0000

Interesting post, Kris.
Also funny, as per your usual offerings.
Up here in potato land, we discourage buyers from being present at inspections.
Reasons include distracting the inspector, buyers’ kids terrorizing the sellers and breaking things, etc.
And, agents simply let the inspector in, then leave to avoid any appearance of influencing the inspector’s results.
Less agent involvement = less legal liability, or so the theory goes.
My inspector has a laptop, digital camera, and prepares his report onsite, then e-mails it to the parties upon completion.
If we are using an online transaction management program, he can upload it to that website too.
He’s more than willing to discuss his findings with the buyers if they wish to show up at the end of the inspection.

By: Tara Jacobsen

Tara Jacobsen — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 14:11:26 +0000

What is up with that inspector thing where everything is universally dire?!?!??! On a report this week I had truly important items like an entire section of a house that was completely ungrounded paired with the notation that regular lightbulbs in the closets should be IMMEDIATELY replaced with florescent bulbs as this caused a SEVERE safety issue!!!! (the electrician laughed out loud at that one!)

Thanks for a great post that can help our buyers and sellers bring a little levity to a very tense situation!

By: Apella

Apella — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 13:11:24 +0000

Kris,
I love the post… is so true and with a flair of humor. All I can say is Pre-Inspection.

Thanks for the great pic in my head, and what is the names of the tub pets?

By: Kris Berg

Kris Berg — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 02:21:08 +0000

Lani - Our dogs should meet. We might have to fly to Canada for the wedding, though. And, ah, the paint cans. I practically die laughing every time a buyer asks for or a seller offers to leave the “leftover paint”. I know that every one of the four hundred and eighty seven cans in my garage, when opened, contains, at most, a teaspoon of solidified sludge with a film of bonus organic goo sufficient to take me to State in next year’s Young Scientist Challenge.

On a personal note: Serendipity. I have had an “interesting” week, as you may be aware, and I have been so enjoying reconnecting with your irreverently funny blog (albeit in a lurking capacity). Consider this my personal thank you note. If one of our five loyal San Diego Home Blog followers is reading this (well, two of the five aren’t really all that loyal), visit Lani’s blog. She’s a hoot.

By: Lani Anglin

Lani Anglin — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 00:16:14 +0000

OMG!! This is TOO FUNNY!! You’re right, it’s hard to separate yourself and imagine what would happen if YOU were put in your clients’ situation.

1.) I’m really tired of you making it pointless for anyone else to even attempt enter any sort of carnival!

2.) Jeez- my boy dog squats like a girl too, weird.

3.) If you can’t produce Coleman from one of your boxes (of high school prom pics, painted rocks from your kids and old 2% full paint cans), that lack of conveyance hinders my interest in your home.