What To Expect When Inspecting

The process of buying or selling a home can sometimes be a lot to take it. There are a lot of hoops to jump though and sometimes, you can be faced with unexpected challenges or information. Here in this article, I would like to give you an idea of what you can expect during the home inspection process.
So you've had your offer accepted or you have accepted an offer and now things are moving forward.  Sometime usually within the first week to two weeks you will have an inspector come into the home and look around for things that the typical person may not see or recognize on their own.  This process typically takes about 2-4 hours for a standard sized home but could be more for a large home or one that may have a lot of amenities.
 When it comes to the inspection process, let me make this analogy.  Let's say you went in to the doctor to have your body examined to make sure everything was working and looking good. Could you imagine at the end of that appointment all the things you may hear? What if you read that list and it said:
1)You have a funny looking mole on your arm that needs to be looked at further
2) your nose is crooked but we can fix that
3) the levels in your blood work are a little off and we will do more tests to see what that is
4) you put on 15lbs since your last visit and we need to talk about that
5) those headaches you mentioned are a concern and we should run a scan
6) and also on your eye exam you said you saw a "Q" but that was an "O"

Now you may think and know that everything about you is fine. Your nose was a childhood accident, but it works fine, that mole has been looked at before, these headaches have been happening your whole life etc...  Now think of yourself in this situation as the seller and someone else is in the room hearing all this news is  the buyer. That is kind of what it feels like in a home inspection. As the seller, you may know a lot of what is reported and that it has already been fixed, or maybe you've learned to live with it, or perhaps it does indeed need to be further looked at and remedied. But as the buyer, this can feel like a lot of overwhelming information and mostly bad news. And maybe it is...but maybe it isn't.  Things can be further inspected by specialists, things can be fixed or paid for to be fixed, or things can be left how they are. And these are the choices as a buyer and seller you will have to make.
It may be more common that in a buyer's market (where the buyer may have the advantage)  that some of the issues found may be fixed by the seller. In a seller's market, it may behoove the seller to fix larger issues that any subsequent buyer would be concerned about as well. But you may find yourself, in any market, with the seller saying they are unwilling to fix or pay for anything. And then you have to make choices about how you feel about that decision and move forward or maybe move on to another home. But, when you are the buyer, especially a first-time buyer, ask your agent about each step throughout the process of a sale and what you should expect. It is better to go into each situation knowing an idea of the possible outcomes as oppose to being blind-sided with a shocking bit of information. And know that even if your real estate agent keeps you informed and educated along the way, there is always the chance that something new and unexpected may come up, so always expect the unexpected and if you are looking to buy or sell, please give me a call and let me help you get moving!