So you have decided to hire a [Profile.market2] home inspector to examine your potential home.  Very smart decision, especially if you are buying a foreclosure, REO or bank owned property.  You have also gone through the walk-through with the inspector, asking him all the necessary questions, and making your own notes of what should or shouldn’t be replaced or repaired.  Now, you’re just waiting for his written report to arrive shortly.  What happens next when you get the report?

A [Profile.market2] home inspector’s report is a long document that is a summary of every observation that the inspector has made.  The document can be quite intimidating, if not overwhelming, especially if you’re worried about whatever repair costs you might have to consider after the [Profile.market2] home inspector lists them on paper..

Don’t be alarmed.  This is just another reason why you must be present during the inspection.  You see, it is one thing to hear about various small problems while you are walking around the property with the [Profile.market2] home inspector but yet another to see them on paper.  Your [Profile.market2] home inspector will give you a run-down of what the problem areas are as well as any safety issues.  The real context might probably be modified with reassurances that “this is just a maintenance issue” or “it would be good to fix when you get around to it.”  You feel relieved when you hear these words, and you should be, because they are designed to make you feel exactly that way.  However, the situation can be entirely different once you read a long list of problems that would make your home less like a dream home and more like a dump.  How on earth are you ever going to pay for all this?

Relax, take a deep breath and don’t panic.  When you read your [Profile.market2] home inspector’s report for the first time, make sure that you understand it and you may need to go over it several times for it to sink in.  Once you have a grasp of it, read it again this time with a pen and paper handy.  Now take it one step at a time.  Look at each “problem” item on the [Profile.market2] home inspector’s report first, then ask yourself the following questions:

1. Is this a minor maintenance problem or a major repair?
2. Is this an issue related to the age of the house?  Because if it is, then it might just be part of the “charm” of the home, especially if your house is an old one.  You might include floors that slope a bit from settlement or door and windows that are slightly out of plumb on the list of your home’s old charm.
3. Is this a problem that must be dealt with immediately or is it just something that should be done eventually?
Give what you know about house prices in your locality, might this problem have already been taken into consideration in pricing the house?
4. Does this problem merit further investigation?
5. Are you wiling to walk away from the house because of any or all of these problems?

If you find any minor items in your [Profile.market2] home inspector’s report, suck it up and forget about it.  You should know by now that no house is perfect.  It is enough that you take care of the really bad ones, or walk away when the cost is just too steep.

A big factor that we have not discussed is the type of contract that you entered into.  If you signed an "AS IS" contract, then you are basically responsible for all the repairs.  If you signed a standard Florida contract, you can now negotiate with the seller on the repairs.  At this time the seller has it in his head that the home is sold and is more apt to agree to do the repairs or at least give you a credit for the repairs that need to be done.  I'm talking about anything major here as minor stuff the seller will usually not negotiate.

There is a lot of free information available to you about buying, selling or investing in [Profile.market2] real estate.  For complete information about the Cape Coral Real Estate market including current homes for sale, property values and more, please visit the most complete websites online dedicated to everything [Profile.market2] real estate at www.livingincapecoralnow.com and www.dancraddock.com.  Please feel free to contact me with any of your real estate questions and I will be happy to answer your questions.  Call me on my cell at [Profile.cell_phone] or email me at [Profile.email_link].

Have a Prosperous Day!