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They had an inspection period and a general contractor is most certainly qualified to do a home inspection. Who do you think must do an inspection? It doesn't have to be a licensed inspection company.
I've had buyers bring a contractor before they even made an offer. They want to know how much it will cost to do whatever renovations they want to do.
Just FYI for anyone reading, this is one of those things that may vary widely and your contract may vary. Important to know what the rules are in your area.
Our forms give specific permission for either the BUYER, or a LICENSED home inspector ONLY to do inspection, unless a contractor is recommended by that inspector, or specific permission is given to bring in a contractor. In our contract it is NOT allowed to simply bring in a contractor instead of an inspector.
This may seem in conflict with my prior post... but the key word is permission.
Just FYI for anyone reading, this is one of those things that may vary widely and your contract may vary. Important to know what the rules are in your area.
Our forms give specific permission for either the BUYER, or a LICENSED home inspector ONLY to do inspection, unless a contractor is recommended by that inspector, or specific permission is given to bring in a contractor. In our contract it is NOT allowed to simply bring in a contractor instead of an inspector.
This may seem in conflict with my prior post... but the key word is permission.
Are you saying that a buyer couldn't bring a contractor with them when they view the property? Or just that it has to be licensed inspector to be able to enter the premises on their own to do an inspection?
Are you saying that a buyer couldn't bring a contractor with them when they view the property? Or just that it has to be licensed inspector to be able to enter the premises on their own to do an inspection?
In what capacity? A member of the family? Can people bring along a buddy who is a contractor for a showing? Sure... done that many times, or dad, or brother, or cousin Frank, the plumber. Are they really "doing inspection" or are they just along for the ride giving friendly advice? This is one of those things where the only time it will make a bit of difference is if you are fighting about something in court, after much else has gone wrong. So... how much will it matter where it went off the rails?
It might matter if Someone broke something or fell off or fell through a roof and did a bunch of damage. If you are bringing along someone to inspect, make sure you have permission, and they have insurance to cover any damage they might do. Or buyer will be responsible... and I'm sure the agent(s) will be included just to be sure.
This is one of those issues that our Washington Association Legal Hotline lawyer has done many videos on and it's still confusing in application, even if it's very clear in the forms. Real life situations always seem more complicated. But the contract clearly says "buyer or licensed home inspector" and contractors can be brought in for "further evaluation based on inspector's recommendation"
My issue with contractors at showings or inspections is they're always walking around with a hammer and they want to pull things apart to look. They think with their hands, and you just simply can't do that in a pre-purchase inspection. You can't move anything, let alone do destructive investigations. Yet, at a bank owned home once, a contractor ripped up a rotted door frame in about two seconds, just poking around, before I could yell "STOP!" They have to be able to estimate based on what they can see, only. They don't like that. The listing agent was livid.
Just FYI for anyone reading, this is one of those things that may vary widely and your contract may vary. Important to know what the rules are in your area.
Our forms give specific permission for either the BUYER, or a LICENSED home inspector ONLY to do inspection, unless a contractor is recommended by that inspector, or specific permission is given to bring in a contractor. In our contract it is NOT allowed to simply bring in a contractor instead of an inspector.
This may seem in conflict with my prior post... but the key word is permission.
Our contract clearly allows any appropriate licensed contractor to be used. If dealing with a restrictive contract I would simply have my inspector suggest a licensed contractor to check virtually every item. For instance my inspector would have a clause in the report that says he did not detect mold but we should have a mold inspector to be sure.
That game can simply be played on virtually any topic you want.
And at least a couple of times I have gotten the seller to agree to opening walls. Always involved water and where it comes from.
In what capacity? A member of the family? Can people bring along a buddy who is a contractor for a showing? Sure... done that many times, or dad, or brother, or cousin Frank, the plumber. Are they really "doing inspection" or are they just along for the ride giving friendly advice? This is one of those things where the only time it will make a bit of difference is if you are fighting about something in court, after much else has gone wrong. So... how much will it matter where it went off the rails?
It might matter if Someone broke something or fell off or fell through a roof and did a bunch of damage. If you are bringing along someone to inspect, make sure you have permission, and they have insurance to cover any damage they might do. Or buyer will be responsible... and I'm sure the agent(s) will be included just to be sure.
This is one of those issues that our Washington Association Legal Hotline lawyer has done many videos on and it's still confusing in application, even if it's very clear in the forms. Real life situations always seem more complicated. But the contract clearly says "buyer or licensed home inspector" and contractors can be brought in for "further evaluation based on inspector's recommendation"
My issue with contractors at showings or inspections is they're always walking around with a hammer and they want to pull things apart to look. They think with their hands, and you just simply can't do that in a pre-purchase inspection. You can't move anything, let alone do destructive investigations. Yet, at a bank owned home once, a contractor ripped up a rotted door frame in about two seconds, just poking around, before I could yell "STOP!" They have to be able to estimate based on what they can see, only. They don't like that. The listing agent was livid.
That's why I specifically said "as long as they don't mess with anything" and are supervised. Even if they weren't a buddy or family member, what's the difference? I'm not talking about them doing the official inspection, essentially just to provide an estimate of what it would cost to fix/update the place.
Besides, even if they do mess with stuff, that's totally different than what OP is complaining about.
1. As far as inspections are concerned, the language in the contract is controlling.
2. Refusing or limiting inspections might lead the buyer to conclude the seller is hiding something.
3. Asking for many inspections at different and inconvenient times might make it hard to come to agreement with the seller, who may decide this particular buyer is too much trouble.
If I came across a clause that said I couldn't have a GC look at the house, I would assume there are major problems. I wouldn't make an offer, I'd find another house. Is that what you want buyers to do?
My situation is that the buyer pulled in a Contractor 2 days before inspection. The Contractor said "something" and scared off my buyer. So they pulled off the agreement without even doing inspection and now the deal is off.
What was brought up basically "old" issues such as water damage (which was fixed) and siding water damage (yes, typical for old house in 60s). I mean adding up the cost for those things is no more than $6-7K BUT the fact is the buyer got scare and decided that the house may collapse on them.
So that's why I asked what is the best way to decline GC to even going in.
So. You want a way to hide known issues? Just hope for an unobservant buyer.
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