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Old 06-16-2016, 08:33 AM
 
Location: Wisconsin
19,480 posts, read 24,947,864 times
Reputation: 51106

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Our 20 something age daughter is living in the condo that my husband and I own and are selling, "as is". Yesterday she called me up in a panic saying that the doorbell rang early in the morning, while she was asleep. She looked outside and there was "a bunch of people" waiting including a House Inspector. She asked me what to do. I said to get dressed, let them in & I would call our real estate agent.

I finally got a hold of our agent and she did not have a record of them setting a date to do a house inspection and the buyers real estate agent was on vacation and the person helping her with her clients was "clue less".

I finally arrived at our condo and discovered, two House Inspectors, two contractors, the buyer, her mother, and four children. BTW, when I arrived the children were upstairs, roaming the house unsupervised. Ten people all around our condo, who came without an appointment and my daughter was trying to stay calm and cool.

I arrived when they had been there for an hour. I was livid, but I stayed polite. If we would have known that the House Inspector was coming we would have done the dishes, straightened up and our daughter would have been up and dressed. While the house was not a mess, we realized later that my daughter had left cash laying out on the counter, together with grocery bags, from when she went shopping the previous evening, jewelry & medicine out on her dresser and things like that.

Obviously there was some type of mix-up because everyone acted like we were supposed to know that they were coming. They even had a dog in the car for part of the visit barking & barking (someone must have taken it somewhere else before I arrived). Those ten people stayed for over two hours

My questions are.
1. Is it common or reasonable to have that many people come along with a Housing Inspector?

2. From my view from the couch, I noticed the House Inspector took photographs of every area of chipped paint, stain on the carpet, damaged edging, listed every window crank that did not work, etc. Aren't they looking for structural damage more than cosmetic problems?

3. I overheard him telling the new buyer that there was a lot of lint behind the dryer (which IMHO, is not true). Why in the world would a house inspector care or notice that?

4. He also informed the new buyer & her mother that they basement windows were only single pane and did not have storm windows. They acted like that was shocking and unacceptable news. The House Inspector opened up the dishwasher and commented that some of the "posts" were damaged & the dishwasher was "old" and again the potential buyer acted shocked and amazed. She could have opened up the dishwasher when she had the private showings.


5. What do you think. Are they going to come back and revise their offer because of these cosmetic things that they should have noticed during the private home showings? To my knowledge there are not any structural problems and we did list the damaged walls & carpet & window cranks in the report (plus they were in plain view).

Arrggg!!!!

BY the way. Our appraisal came in "as is" at $162,000. We listed at $157,000 (since that is what recent condos sold for in our complex). Our appraisal was probably higher as we have a three bedroom condo & the others were two bedrooms & we have a new furnace & new air conditioner. We have a signed, accepted offer at $150,000 with them and are scheduled to close in two weeks.

Last edited by germaine2626; 06-16-2016 at 08:55 AM..
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Old 06-16-2016, 08:43 AM
 
Location: Bloomington IN
8,590 posts, read 12,223,174 times
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Even if defects were in plain view, inspectors would note them in their report. They likely have not seen your report. Their job is to note all defects that can be seen. Nothing you've said the inspector said or noted is unusual in an inspection report. Good inspectors also educate new homeowners on things they should do, e.g. the lint behind the dryer.

Except for the snafu about them showing up without an appointment, you and your daughter should be happy that all of the people were there at once instead of multiple appointments for contractors, showing mom the house, showing the kids the house, etc. Certainly it was inappropriate to allow the children to roam around, but not everyone is a great parent. I'm sure mom and grandma were focused on the inspection.

Two hours is normal for an inspection.

Will the buyer ask for cosmetic fixes? Maybe. Agents can educate buyers that inspections are for health, safety and structural issues until they are blue in the face. It doesn't mean that a buyer will listen to them. It also doesn't mean you have to agree to cosmetic fixes when they respond to the report.
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Old 06-16-2016, 08:50 AM
 
Location: Boise, Idaho
813 posts, read 1,049,439 times
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I would not have let them in without prior authorization and confirmation.

IMO, they were out of line thinking they were "entitled" to free reign of your home during the inspection. Even if the seller was throwing a party, and you were invited, you typically wouldn't bring additional uninvited guests so why do it when they aren't even home?

In Idaho, I am accustom to having a buyer and their family attend the inspection so they can see first hand what the inspector is looking at. Many inspectors will call out all the little details to cover their bases; however, they typically will call them out as cosmetic issues. Lint build up around a dryer can become a fire hazard so that should be called out.

How things are renegotiated will depend on the strength of your contract and the negotiating strength of your Realtor.
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Old 06-16-2016, 08:50 AM
 
Location: Rural Michigan
6,343 posts, read 14,589,462 times
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If you're selling below market, you can tell them any "repairs" have been priced into the deal, and yes, expect a long list of "defects", and requests for repairs & concessions, because that's just how modern buyers think.
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Old 06-16-2016, 09:02 AM
 
Location: Wisconsin
19,480 posts, read 24,947,864 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zippyman View Post
If you're selling below market, you can tell them any "repairs" have been priced into the deal, and yes, expect a long list of "defects", and requests for repairs & concessions, because that's just how modern buyers think.
Our $162,000 appraiser was for the condo "as is" and it noted the damaged carpet, walls and windows.

I'm worried that the buyers are going to demand that we reduce the price even more. IMHO, and the opinion of our real estate agent $150,000 is a very, reasonable price for a quick sale. I would have countered with a few thousand more but they wanted to close in only three weeks so I accepted that price.
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Old 06-16-2016, 09:22 AM
 
Location: Raleigh NC
25,118 posts, read 16,069,466 times
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1. You certainly would have been within your rights to decline their appointment by confirming that's our received no notice.

2. They're generally within their rights to inspect any and everything as part of their inspection process and period
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Old 06-16-2016, 12:35 PM
 
Location: Rural Michigan
6,343 posts, read 14,589,462 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by germaine2626 View Post
Our $162,000 appraiser was for the condo "as is" and it noted the damaged carpet, walls and windows.

I'm worried that the buyers are going to demand that we reduce the price even more. IMHO, and the opinion of our real estate agent $150,000 is a very, reasonable price for a quick sale. I would have countered with a few thousand more but they wanted to close in only three weeks so I accepted that price.
If there was lots of market interest at the listed price, then you just say no - they can pay what they offered or you can find another buyer - may not even take but a few days, depending on your market.

I certainly wouldn't be arguing over dryer-lint if I was selling for $12k under appraisal.
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Old 06-16-2016, 12:43 PM
 
Location: Mokelumne Hill, CA & El Pescadero, BCS MX.
6,957 posts, read 22,218,225 times
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I had a final walk through once where 12 people showed up and they all seemed to want to offer an opinion about the home to the new buyers! Herding cats is easier.
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Old 06-16-2016, 12:52 PM
 
Location: Georgia
4,578 posts, read 5,618,102 times
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Well, it's not unusual for there to be several people at an inspection. We encourage our buyers to attend the inspection, so the inspector can point out any issues, show them where the main water turn-off valve is, etc., and also point out areas of concern so that the buyer can see it in person, not just a so-so photo. Sometimes, a younger buyer will bring their parents or a trusted relative who knows construction, etc. And I'll go along, too, because as the agent, I want to hear what's going on so I am intelligent when talking to the listing agent. But 10 seems a little excessive, and I can understand why your daughter was a little taken aback.

Your condo may be "as is", but the buyer still has the right to know what they are buying. If this is part of their due diligence, they can probably still walk away from the deal if the inspection shows major flaws.

Two hours is about right for a condo inspection. And yes, a good inspector is going to document EVERYTHING. We warn buyers that inspection reports are VERY long these days (40-60 pages), simply because of the photos. Otherwise, they start to freak out. :-) Many of the items are just "keep an eye on this for the future." Others are clearly marked as safety/health issues (lint behind a dryer is a safety hazard because it can catch on fire.) Your contract is presumably clearly "as is", but don't be surprised if they try to come back with some changes. It's the way of the world, these days. Just be politely firm and let your agent handle it.) At that much under appraisal, they can buy a new dishwasher. :-) And single pane windows are typical of older homes. Big deal. If they want them double-pane, they can do that after closing.

May I strongly urge you to teach your daughter to say "No"? It would not have been unreasonable for her to say, "I'm very sorry, but no one told me that this had been scheduled. Please wait outside while I make a few phone calls and confirm it." As a single woman living alone, it is insane that she would allow a bunch of strangers to come tromping through her home unannounced, regardless of whether it was for sale or not.
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Old 06-16-2016, 01:17 PM
 
Location: Wisconsin
19,480 posts, read 24,947,864 times
Reputation: 51106
Quote:
Originally Posted by dblackga View Post
Well, it's not unusual for there to be several people at an inspection. We encourage our buyers to attend the inspection, so the inspector can point out any issues, show them where the main water turn-off valve is, etc., and also point out areas of concern so that the buyer can see it in person, not just a so-so photo. Sometimes, a younger buyer will bring their parents or a trusted relative who knows construction, etc. And I'll go along, too, because as the agent, I want to hear what's going on so I am intelligent when talking to the listing agent. But 10 seems a little excessive, and I can understand why your daughter was a little taken aback.

Your condo may be "as is", but the buyer still has the right to know what they are buying. If this is part of their due diligence, they can probably still walk away from the deal if the inspection shows major flaws.

Two hours is about right for a condo inspection. And yes, a good inspector is going to document EVERYTHING. We warn buyers that inspection reports are VERY long these days (40-60 pages), simply because of the photos. Otherwise, they start to freak out. :-) Many of the items are just "keep an eye on this for the future." Others are clearly marked as safety/health issues (lint behind a dryer is a safety hazard because it can catch on fire.) Your contract is presumably clearly "as is", but don't be surprised if they try to come back with some changes. It's the way of the world, these days. Just be politely firm and let your agent handle it.) At that much under appraisal, they can buy a new dishwasher. :-) And single pane windows are typical of older homes. Big deal. If they want them double-pane, they can do that after closing.

May I strongly urge you to teach your daughter to say "No"? It would not have been unreasonable for her to say, "I'm very sorry, but no one told me that this had been scheduled. Please wait outside while I make a few phone calls and confirm it." As a single woman living alone, it is insane that she would allow a bunch of strangers to come tromping through her home unannounced, regardless of whether it was for sale or not.
Thanks for your input & the input of others.

I should point out that when my daughter, in her pajamas, first talked to the House Inspectors, there were only three people and she did have them wait outside until she called me and asked what to do & then quickly got dressed. I couldn't get ahold of our agent so I did not know what to do either. I was worried that the buyer may withdraw their offer.

The rest of the menagerie showed up a few minutes later. Frankly, if it was all adults I wouldn't have been as miffed but two of the kids (about age 7 to 9) were just friends of the daughters/granddaughters and were not going to live here. So why did Mom & Grandma bring them along and let them traipse all over the place unaccompanied?

We replaced our washer a few months ago and everything was totally pulled out and washed/cleaned at that time so I was surprised that the inspector found any lint at all. I couldn't see any dryer lint by just looking over it so I climbed on a ladder to see everything and there was a tiny amount of dust/lint on the floor between the dryer & wall. OMG! If the inspector is that picky I shudder to think about what else he was listing on that report.
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