Home Inspection Attitudes

Whew! Home inspections can be tough. I know I wrote about this before, but it warrants another call. Most Buyers and Sellers rejoice after putting a home under contract. Everyone feels like the long wait is over. The Sellers finally got rid of their home and the Buyers have now found the home of their dreams.

But wait! There's more! The process is not over. In fact, the trouble has just begun. In my opinion, the home inspection process is the most difficult process in the entire home transaction.

From the Buyers' point of view, they are purchasing a home with 'all these problems and defects'. They have every right to want everything fixed. Why should they inherit someone else's problems and baggage. After all, they are paying a good price for the home, so everything should be fixed.

From the Sellers' point of view, these 'were not problems when we moved in to the house'. Their inspector never said anything about the damp crawlspace and the creaky floors. The air conditioning works just fine too, so why should they fix it? The door will close fine, all you have to do is put some weight against it. Oh, and they never used the hot tub, so they are not going to fix that either. After all, the Buyers got a great price on the house, so they can simply fix all the problems.

As you can see, this might take a while to sort out. The point here is that neither side can have it their way. This takes negotiation, patience and a lot of compromise. Buyers and Sellers should go into the inspections with a heart of good faith. Buyers should not 'beat up' the Sellers over minor repair items like creaky doors, or uneven fence posts. And Sellers should not become angry and personally offended when a Buyer asks for items fixed.

It is my job as the Realtor/Agent to make sense out of all this mess. But I can't do it without everyone's objectivity.

Just realize that the home inspection process is a difficult one. Treat others the way you would like to be treated int he same situation. We all have to buy and sell at some time, so remember the other side when you are battling the battle. Stay objective, be fair and most of all, compromise. Otherwise, everything may end up with a home that is 'back on the market'.