Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We had something similar happen this week. An inspection report similar to what you received led to cancellation of the buyer's contract. What is frustrating is that there were inaccuracies in the report which was presented to the buyers without our seeing it to contradict the inaccuracies.
While the general opinion is that the buyers changed their minds about our house and used this as an excuse to get out of the contract and get their earnest money back, I am very upset by how this played out.
We have been busy, in anticipation of a closing date in a few weeks, packing up our house as it all has to go into storage for a period of time until our new house is ready. Now everything is in disarray with packing boxes, wrapping paper, etc. in every room and we now have to re-prep the house for staging and showing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nefret
That's a good idea. Our house went under contract before it ever got listed.
We would never not be transparent with buyers. We treat others as we wish to be treated and it is sometimes hard to come face to face with the fact that others do not always do the same.
We will work off the list that we have. There is nothing really major but there are pages and pages of minor little things which in total are overwhelming. And, as in the case of cagirl's burned out light bulb, some minor things were blown totally out of proportion indicating all kinds of disaster that could result.
In regard to what could be changed about the process, it would have been nice if our agent had reviewed the inspection report with us prior to sending it to the buyer's agent. That way, we could have pointed out the inaccuracies.
I am truly sorry this happened to you. I understand your frustration. We were really angry.
You sound really cynical and jaded. Your years of experience have nothing to do with ME.
I was not avoiding transparency. I did not refuse to "fix stuff." I was not "rolling the dice" and hoping buyers would miss "stuff". We spent months and thousands upon thousands of dollars getting our house ready to put on the market. I am human, and I missed one burned out bulb in one closet. How is being told that one burned out bulb is indicative of a systemic electrical failure honest or transparent? It is not.
I haven't even mentioned other things, such as an A/C unit that the inspector said wasn't working. That was really strange to us, since we live here and haven't noticed any issues with the A/C. I called an A/C company who inspected our units and said there wasn't a single thing wrong with them. That was money I had to spend out of pocket to inspect units that are perfectly normal and functional.
The fact is, I got an inspector who has no business inspecting homes and it cost me time and it cost me money. An inspector who writes that something is not functioning that IS functioning should be held liable for that.
Apparently you have received the inspection wording for more than the original items posted about. It would be interesting to see the remainder of inspection write-ups, as the Inspector wrote them, and what you subsequently found.
The whole concept of going under contract, "locking" up the home and then reopening negotiations is really damn annoying to both sides, and can unfairly harm the seller, IMO.
Obviously, in some markets, even an inspection contingency can DQ you from the pile. Honestly, though, those markets aren't really healthy (too heavy on the Seller side). My top three offers on my last sale all had waived this and it just seems ridiculous for 90% of buyers to do so, as they really don't understand what they're looking at the majority of the time.
You make some interesting points here. As a buyer AND as a seller, I disagree with the "can cancel for any reason with no penalty for the buyer" option period. This should be reserved for major life emergencies and not because the buyer is a flake.
Quote:
I've bought and sold a number of times, I've rehabbed 2 houses, I'm confident in tackling 98% of home repair projects - and I still hate buying without an inspection. If I wanted to put an offer in, I'd rather do the inspection first - then offer my fair price based on that data.
Ah, I disagree with you on this last part. We did it differently on the house we are buying--we had an electrician, a plumber, and a general contractor go over the house and it was less expensive and more informative than a usual inspection (no offense to those of you who are inspectors).
Apparently you have received the inspection wording for more than the original items posted about. It would be interesting to see the remainder of inspection write-ups, as the Inspector wrote them, and what you subsequently found.
We had an exterior GFCI replaced and we installed a new doorstop behind an interior door.
ETA: we were ready to repair legitimate issues; we objected to doomsday presentation of simple issues (lightbulb) or saying something did not work that did (a/c, PRV).
Last edited by calgirlinnc; 05-23-2020 at 01:00 PM..
And a prior inspection paid for by the seller and property of the seller does nothing to mitigate or change that process.
It is a perception of not hiding anything.
Transparency.
Bringing value to buyers.
Negotiating on the clarity of the sellers' disclosures, rather than throwing a dart at a "Hide and Seek" game of "Why would I pre-inspect and disclose. Catch me if you can."
You sound really cynical and jaded. Your years of experience have nothing to do with ME.
I was not avoiding transparency. I did not refuse to "fix stuff." I was not "rolling the dice" and hoping buyers would miss "stuff". We spent months and thousands upon thousands of dollars getting our house ready to put on the market. I am human, and I missed one burned out bulb in one closet. How is being told that one burned out bulb is indicative of a systemic electrical failure honest or transparent? It is not.
I haven't even mentioned other things, such as an A/C unit that the inspector said wasn't working. That was really strange to us, since we live here and haven't noticed any issues with the A/C. I called an A/C company who inspected our units and said there wasn't a single thing wrong with them. That was money I had to spend out of pocket to inspect units that are perfectly normal and functional.
The fact is, I got an inspector who has no business inspecting homes and it cost me time and it cost me money. An inspector who writes that something is not functioning that IS functioning should be held liable for that.
I am neither cynical nor jaded.
But, I do work with people on both sides of the transaction routinely, and I am quite aware of the human foibles they bring to a transaction.
Yes, you believe you had an incompetent inspector, and may well have had. I have no quibble with that likelihood.
But, even you now have come to recognize that the buyer just had buyer's remorse for any unknown reason, and just used a bad inspection citation as a convenient reason to exit.
It happens.
And, you had to pay out of pocket for an HVAC guy, because you did not proactively request a current assessment prior to going to contract.
It still comes back to sellers who are unprepared to offer a quality product to market.
Even used car sellers offer "Certified used cars."
Maybe owners should consider building some confidence, rather than hoping nothing gets cited.
Apparently you have received the inspection wording for more than the original items posted about. It would be interesting to see the remainder of inspection write-ups, as the Inspector wrote them, and what you subsequently found.
Yup.
And to see another independent inspection to compare.
Oh. I wasn’t saying an “inspection service”, I was referring to the inspection period.
Inspectors, by and large, simply find code and maintenance issues, and refer systems to a “qualified, licensed, XXX” on their report.
I bought my last one with just the electrical and HVAC inspected, as I knew I’d be redoing almost all the plumbing anyway. I’m perfectly capable of inspecting the rest.
I will day, though, that my experience in TX has had seen far more inspectors that go completely off the reservation on their notes.
What are you calling "the reservation"?
Are you familiar with the Texas Mandated Standards Of Practice that Inspectors must follow as a minimum?
We had an exterior GFCI replaced and we installed a new doorstop behind an interior door.
ETA: we were ready to repair legitimate issues; we objected to doomsday presentation of simple issues (lightbulb) or saying something did not work that did (a/c, PRV).
Do you have the wording from the report for the AC issue?
It still comes back to sellers who are unprepared to offer a quality product to market.
Even used car sellers offer "Certified used cars."
Maybe owners should consider building some confidence, rather than hoping nothing gets cited.
We are totally dependent on our agent to walk us through this. We have not sold a house in over 30 years.
We do think have a quality product but are leaving the marketing up to the agent.
I'm glad you're not my agent as you seem to have the attitude that everyone is trying to pull something. I prefer to believe that most people are honest and try to do the right thing.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
