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In this case, you’ll need to get an inspection, then make your offer. They don’t want to be tied up in a contract with a buyer that may not follow through. More recently, the trend has been sellers demanding that buyers have an inspection done before going to contract. Or they may offer a $1,000 concession to help with those costs. If there are $3,000 of repairs to be made in this scenario, you may have just 7 to 10 days to find an inspector, arrange the inspection, get the report back, review it, and have your Realtor renegotiate to deal with this overage. This can be either a dollar amount or a percentage of the purchase price.įor example you may specify you will buy the property as-is, providing the needed repairs found in the inspection do not exceed $2,000 or 2% of the purchase price.
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You may also have a repair limit on the contract. If you are buying a home ‘as-is’, with no repair contingencies (which is most common today), you should still have the right to inspect the property.
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Your purchase and sales contract will specifically detail how many days you have to inspect the property. Traditionally, a home buyer will order and pay for a professional home inspection right after they sign a real estate contract agreeing to the terms with the seller. Or it may be in a lot better condition than you thought. Without an inspection, you have no idea if this house is going to be livable, a giant money pit, or downright dangerous.
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If you’ll be financing this home purchase with a mortgage loan, your lender will want to be protected with an appraisal, title search, insurances, and a mandatory professional home inspection. The Need for a Home Inspection When Buying a Home
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