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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 they may withdraw their offer. The rest of the menagerie showed up a few minutes later.
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.
Don't "shudder" or worry about the report. The inspection is done to find hidden/undisclosed defects, not as another chance to renegotiate the deal. A certain percentage of homebuyers try to get away with that, but if you're under the market & well under the appraisal, you can tell them to pound sand & enjoy (not) getting a home.
As a buyer I took my dad to my inspection. I wanted him to have a chance to see the house I was buying, and I knew as the sellers were going to be out of the house for the inspection that we could have a good look around without inconveniencing anyone. I don't really see what the problem is that there were 10 people there for the inspection. Letting the kids run around unsupervised was inappropriate, but if they had been supervised then I wouldn't have an issue with it.
I think the biggest issue is that the home inspector was scheduled and no one bothered to communicate that information to your realtor or to you.
Home inspectors do note everything. That is their job.
I'm used to there being two inspectors at most inspections these days because the wood destroying insect (termite) inspection is usually done by a separate inspector. I can see there being a couple of contractors there if the buyer has in mind doing some remodeling and wanting to get an idea of the cost/let the contractor see what they'll be doing; in fact, lit would be to your advantage to have that at the same time as the inspection because it's getting everything requiring access to the house done at once. I can see the Mom and two kids coming along with the buyer for the same reason, to let them see the house at the same time and, again, that's one less time for your daughter to have to allow access to the house. The two extra kids are a surprise, and any children present should definitely be wrangled for the entire time -that's the only inappropriate thing I see here.
And, as everyone else said, inspectors are supposed to note EVERYTHING, big and small. The buyer and their agent sort out what's important to ask for or, if not that, what's a big enough thing to be a deal breaker.
As a buyer I took my dad to my inspection. I wanted him to have a chance to see the house I was buying, and I knew as the sellers were going to be out of the house for the inspection that we could have a good look around without inconveniencing anyone. I don't really see what the problem is that there were 10 people there for the inspection. Letting the kids run around unsupervised was inappropriate, but if they had been supervised then I wouldn't have an issue with it.
I think the biggest issue is that the home inspector was scheduled and no one bothered to communicate that information to your realtor or to you.
Home inspectors do note everything. That is their job.
Wow! Were we supposed to be out of the house during the inspection????
But I have a question. Since there was not a real estate agent along, with the code to the lockbox, if we weren't there how would everyone get inside and how would they lock up when they left?
Since no one told us that the inspectors were coming our agent had not told us anything at all. I assumed that as owners we were supposed to stay there in case the inspector asked us questions just like when our appraiser came.
So our daughter stayed there until I arrived, sat on the couch on her computer, and then she left after I arrived. And, I then sat on the couch on my computer. The inspector did ask us several questions.
Last edited by germaine2626; 06-16-2016 at 05:26 PM..
Reason: Added a question.
First, I would have just declined the appointment! If accepted, there is no way I'd let 10 people wander around inside a condo-especially small children running around, which in my experience are almost always unsupervised!
By they way, if I'm the buyer, the last thing I want is to distract the inspector and with a crowd like that it is guaranteed to happen.
Wow! Were we supposed to be out of the house during the inspection????
But I have a question. Since there was not a real estate agent along, with the code to the lockbox, if we weren't there how would everyone get inside and how would they lock up when they left?
Since no one told us that the inspectors were coming our agent had not told us anything at all. I assumed that as owners we were supposed to stay there in case the inspector asked us questions just like when our appraiser came.
So our daughter stayed there until I arrived, sat on the couch on her computer, and then she left after I arrived. And, I then sat on the couch on my computer. The inspector did ask us several questions.
The inspector I used keeps a realtors license for convenience so he has lockbox access. My realtor wasn't present during the inspection. When my house was inspected the realtor let the inspector in and then came back to lock back up (the buyer didn't attend the inspection). in my area, sellers are typically not present for the inspection. And to be honest, I wouldn't have considered as a seller being present because as a buyer I don't want the seller to be present. I want to be able to talk about potential issues with the house with the inspector and so I can figure out what is a real issue that I feel the sellers need to repair, and what is cosmetic and/or maintenance related without showing my hand to the sellers.
I do think it's an issue you weren't notified, and perhaps sellers being present at the inspection is common place in your neck of the woods, but where I live sellers are almost never present.
The inspector I used keeps a realtors license for convenience so he has lockbox access. My realtor wasn't present during the inspection. When my house was inspected the realtor let the inspector in and then came back to lock back up (the buyer didn't attend the inspection). in my area, sellers are typically not present for the inspection. And to be honest, I wouldn't have considered as a seller being present because as a buyer I don't want the seller to be present. I want to be able to talk about potential issues with the house with the inspector and so I can figure out what is a real issue that I feel the sellers need to repair, and what is cosmetic and/or maintenance related without showing my hand to the sellers.
I do think it's an issue you weren't notified, and perhaps sellers being present at the inspection is common place in your neck of the woods, but where I live sellers are almost never present.
Hmmm, I have absolutely no idea if I (the seller) was supposed to be there or not be there as I was not notified about the inspection and thus did not discuss it with my real estate agent in advance.
I hope that it was not a mistake to stay but I really did not know what to do. I did just email my agent to ask her about it.
The buyer also is planning to have a bunch more people come, someone to check for radon, an engineer to see if she could remove a wall, more contractors to get estimates. I asked my agent how accommodating we are supposed to be to all of those people. For example, should my daughter take off of work to let them inside, and to lock up after them, or what?
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PS. My agent just emailed back. Apparently, the inspection should have been approved through the showing service. They text or call my daughter for any showings or appointments and she has to acknowledge either yes or no. Somehow that step was missed.
And, yes, sellers normally leave during an inspection but my agent said that under the circumstances (no appointment & ten people, including four children, showing up) she could see why my daughter stayed until I could drive over. And then I stayed. I hope it does not effect the sale.
Last edited by germaine2626; 06-16-2016 at 07:21 PM..
Reason: Added PS.
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.
Even though we are selling the condo "as is" and we accepted their offer of $7,000 below our asking price, the buyer now wants another $6,000 price reduction due to the "many defects" such as the damaged carpet, lint behind the dryer, a missing piece of baseboard in the kitchen, and that we do not storm windows on our basement windows (BTW, I do not think any of the condos in my complex have storm windows on their basement windows). Also, we have a light above our bathtub. It was code when the condo was built but not today.
Even though we are selling the condo "as is" and we accepted their offer of $7,000 below our asking price, the buyer now wants another $6,000 price reduction due to the "many defects" such as the damaged carpet, lint behind the dryer, a missing piece of baseboard in the kitchen, and that we do not storm windows on our basement windows (BTW, I do not think any of the condos in my complex have storm windows on their basement windows). Also, we have a light above our bathtub. It was code when the condo was built but not today.
They can ask for anything, but you don't have to give it to them. The items you listed are extremely minor and not even defects. Every house will have a list, some very long list of things an inspector will note. From what your condo appraises for and what you were already agreeing to, I wouldn't give them anything but maybe an offer that you'll use a shop vac on the dryer lint free of charge.
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