Homebuying With Guro: Home Inspections
Did you know that Alabama is a buyer beware state? Buyer Beware means that most of the responsibility is on you, the buyer, to do your due diligence when buying a home. But that doesn’t mean the seller has no responsibility. The seller or the seller’s agent is required to disclose any health and safety hazards known to them. However, we don’t have a seller’s disclosure form that you might be used to if you’re moving here from another state.
A general home inspection is a great way to catch anything that could be missed. That’s why I don’t recommend waiving the inspection contingency!
Based on the home inspection, things might come up that you want to investigate further, such as Electrical, HVAC, the structure, or foundation. What you want to inspect will probably depend on the result of the home inspection and what’s important to you. Some home inspectors will also offer other more specialized inspections such as sewer line inspection or testing for radon.
Additional inspections you can check off in the contract we use in the Birmingham area are Septic/ Sewer line inspection, Wood Infestation Report - or termite inspection, and a Property Survey. Most inspections will be paid directly to the inspector, but the Wood Infestation Report is usually paid at closing.
After the initial home inspection, you may want to ask the seller to make some repairs by sending a repair request. The standard in the contract is to do so within three days after the initial inspection period. The seller then has three days to respond, and based on the seller’s response - you have two days to decide what you want to do: terminate the contract or accept and move on with the purchase.
The additional inspection period is usually longer than the initial inspection period but is governed by the same deadlines when it comes to making repair requests. There are many ways to negotiate repairs, but we’ll learn more about that later.
Have more questions about inspections and repairs? Send me an email at guro.midtsund@exprealty.com!
Guro Midtsund is a Realtor with eXp Realty, LLC in Birmingham, AL. This information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.