No, I never got an inspection….
A friend of my wife told her that when she first bought her house. After some time her circumstances changed and it was time to sell the house.
The buyers came with their inspector and found some items that no one had any ideas about, including the seller. Some of the items the insurance company was concerned about were Knob and tube wiring, galvanized water pipes, asbestos siding and a forty year old furnace. The deal died.
A year and a half later she finally sold the house but the price was substantially lower.
She told my wife that she was looking for another house in the area she was planning on moving to. When my wife asked her “This time you are going to get an inspection?”. She responded that she did not think that an inspection would help that much.
Thousands of dollars lost and she feels $400 is not worth helping her to prevent this from happening again. Hmmmm…
I do hate scare mongering, but so many times I have done an inspection for someone in construction and almost wonder why they hired me with their knowledge. Many will say that I have looked at items they simply never would have thought of and are well prepared now that they know what is or is not in the house.
One man argued with his realtor, telling her that he did not need an inspection as the house was not that old. She insisted that he cover himself just in case. He finally agreed to get an inspection, but then told her that she was paying for it.
I found two major items that they were able to get repaired under warranty. The buyer’s statement to me was, “You just showed me the value of a good home inspection!” He then surprised his agent by whipping out his credit card and paying for the inspection himself.
