Home Inspectors…Gotta Love ‘Em!

Okay, I harp on this a bit, but you don’t want to become a home buyer horror story!  Do what Betsy and I always insist our home buyers do…spend the money on home inspections, from whole house to radon!  It is the best money you will spend during your home buying adventure!  It will make you chuckle as you read what some sellers will attempt to fool home inspectors, but you don’t want to be a home buyer that becomes  fodder for someone’s article on the probable tribulations of not having a home inspection!  Home inspectors are trained professionals, and they can save you a lot of money in the long run.  Check out Karen Aho’s article for MSN Real Estate, Home Horrors: Lessons from home inspectors, and keep your home buying experience one not fraught with expensive repairs!

To keeping the “scary” out of home purchases~                                               Rosemary, Atkinson-Thompson Group

Seller’s Checklist…A Very Useful Tool When Getting Ready to Sell

I have blogged before regarding the importance of home inspections for buyers, but a seller getting their home ready for a buyer’s home inspection is very important!   As a seller, you don’t want to have to go through the sometimes nightmarish and cash-requiring process that can result from a less-than-happy home inspection by your potential buyer!  And, quite frankly, after you have lived in a home for years, you will have become oblivious to some of the defects in your home, but a home inspector hired by your potential buyer won’t be oblivious, and neither will your prospective buyer!   

So,  I came across a great little tool on HouseMaster.com!  It is their Seller’s Checklist.  It is a pre-listing checklist for those getting ready to have their homes marketed by a realtor.  All of the items on the checklist are, for sure, going to be among the items that a home inspector will be inspecting!  Grease your transition from the excitement of a contract to the joy of closing by avoiding what can be a stress-inducing negotiation between buyer and seller on what the buyer considers unacceptable conditions after having your home inspected!  You’ll be so glad you did!

To happy home inspection reports~ Rosemary

Your Second Best Friend When Purchasing a Home: Your Home Inspector

Your first best friend when buying a home is your realtor; a wise choice in that department is the Atkinson-Thompson Group.  Your second best friend, without a doubt, is your home inspector!  Although you are not required to have a home inspection when you purchase a new home, Betsy and I practically insist that our buyers do.  In fact, we do everything we can (short of demanding!) to convince our buyers to spend the money on a home inspection.  It is some of the wisest money you will spend when purchasing  a home.  The last thing you want are surprises, thousands of dollars worth of them, after moving into your new home.  It would certainly take the joy out of the whole event!

Lisa Scherzer’s article for Smart Money,  Find property flaws before it’s too late, contains great advice on why you should always have a home inspection prior to finalizing a contract on a home purchase.  Read it, and avoid purchasing a money pit!   Remember, contracts are contingent upon home inspection results.  Any buyer can walk away from a contract once having a home inspection, or can choose to make needed repairs a part of the contract negotiations.  Like I said…some of the best money you will spend when purchasing a home!

Be careful out there~  Rosemary