Photo By: Robert Peterson; Rustic White Photography
You have 8-12 days (depending on State and negotiations) to inspect the home you're buying or have your home inspected to sell after going under contract.Here's how to make it count.
Home Inspections for Buyers: Your home inspections are critical. First decide what inspections you need. Besides a full home inspection, do you want a sewer scope, pool inspection, a separate roof inspection? Make sure it's a licensed home inspector that's going to be checking out the entire house (not just electric and plumbing). Make sure your inspector is going to provide you with an extensive report, including photos, as soon as they can after the appointment. Go through all of the disclosures before the inspection and let the inspector know if there was any reported damage or issues to the house so he can dig extra deep in those areas and make sure all necessary repairs were actually made. Get going on your inspections as soon as you can so you have enough time to get your repair list together and respond in a timely fashion.
Home Inspections for Sellers: Home inspections range from $250-$450 in Arizona, depending on sq. ft. It can be a great tool for sellers to get a home inspection done before listing your home. This will give you a full list of anything/everything you may want to fix prior to listing your house. If you want to get top dollar for your home and are listed in an upper-end price range, this can be an especially great tool for you. If your buyer comes through and does their inspections and finds a long list of repairs or issues with the house, they will definitely be asking you to fix a lot of things, or ask for credit at close. They always want licensed sub-contractors working on it, will want to track all your receipts, etc. The process becomes a lot more work for you, all while you're trying to pack up your house and get moved. You can avoid the hassle, by knowing and fixing what you plan to fix in advance. You can be upfront and address any issues you don't plan to fix as well. Disclosure is everything.
