So we all know how crazy the real estate market is right now. Even to spite Covid-19, houses are selling like hotcakes.

But there is another phenomenon that is occurring as well.

People are buying homes and not getting a home inspection.

Now it’s understandable that multiple offers are coming in on homes and that the sellers often have quite a few choices as to who to sell their home to. The problem begins when one of the buyers bids to purchase with an offer to forego the home inspection in order to get the home.

At that point, it’s crystal clear to the sellers whose offer should be entertained. Of course they are going to jump at the opportunity to sell their home without any scrutiny from a trained home inspector. Without the inspection, there are no repair requests that are made that need to be addressed before the sale of the home.

It’s a win-win scenario for the seller!

But how about the buyer?

The phrase Caveat Emptor is often interpreted from Latin to mean, “Let the buyer beware.”
In fact, while writing this blog, I just Googled the definition of caveat emptor to check the meaning of it, and the example used under the definition was literally: “caveat emptor still applies when you are buying your house.”

How apropos! Sorry, I couldn’t resist getting that in!

So the buyer is assuming that the home is in “good condition” and that the seller would never try to pull a fast one and sell a home with any “major” issues right?

WRONG! Very WRONG!

I’ve inspected a number of homes in the last few months where both the sellers and the selling agent were hoping to avoid a home inspection. But along came a home inspector to inspect the home.

And boy have I seen some hum-dingers lately!

I’ve seen several homes where the home owners have literally done no upgrades or maintenance on the home in 35+ years. But the market is phenomenal they figure, and houses are selling left and right! “So let’s just put it out there and see what happens!”

I’ve seen at least five homes in the last month with major foundation issues totaling upwards of $70,000.

How would you like to inherit a home with that type of deficiency? Imagine trying to sell a home with major foundation issue like that in twenty years time when the market will no doubt be very different.

It won’t be pleasant trying to sell a home with a major deficiency like that.

And let me tell you about the mold that we see in homes these days – it’s rampant! Years of a combination of poor choices in ventilation and overall bad ventilation in homes has created a scenario whereby 85 – 90% of the homes that we inspect these days have some degree of mold growth in the home.

Ask any home inspector with experience and they will tell you – “You need to get a home inspection!” I have seen far too many issues over the year to ever sanction people passing up a home inspection just to buy a place to live.

The electrical issues that we find alone are worth getting a home inspection for. So many home owners believe that they can install electrical outlets and light fixtures themselves. Why hire a professional when we can do it ourselves? The age of HGTV has inspired people to do it themselves. And they do!

I have a friend who is a general contractor, and he always chides me over the fact that he doesn’t need a license to practice in New Hampshire, but I need a license to inspect his work! Now how does that make sense?

During the real estate process, Home Inspectors are not allowed to express their opinions about the home and alter the course of the transaction. Rather, we are there to do a neutral survey of the home and present the findings dispassionately and simply educate our clients about what we’ve found during the inspection. And we certainly can not tell people to not buy a home. But we can let our inspections speak for themselves.

Another important reason to get a home inspection is because a good home inspector will educate their clients on all the aspects of their new home – the good and the bad!

At First Choice Home Inspection, our home inspections speak for themselves. We educate our clients about all the aspects of their new home. And our clients love us for it!

Mike McCarty
NH Licensed Home Inspector # 316
HUD 203k Consultant License # 1939