A difficult aspect of buying or selling a house is the home inspection and repair procedure. Knowing what to look for and anticipate can assist you, as a real estate agent, to guide your client and make the process go as smoothly as possible.
In this article, we’ll go over key elements of the inspection and repair process, such as how to set realistic expectations and what repairs are required following a home inspection, particularly for resale homes.
Home Inspection Issues That Could Be Mandatory For a Buyer to Be Fixed
What repairs must be made following a house inspection?
The majority of the time, issues that need to be repaired are ones that are obvious safety dangers or significant structural flaws on the property.
The issues with a home inspection that might halt a sale in its tracks are listed below. If one of these problems is found, a sizable majority of buyers won’t agree to buy the house.
Even if the buyer concedes to one of these issues, there is a very good chance that the buyer will still want a sizable financial discount. Because of this, acting on these frequent house inspection findings may be a wise financial decision.
1. Structural Problems
There is little doubt that structural issues will be at the top of a buyer’s list of needed repairs following a house inspection.
Your home’s foundation is possibly the most important component that ensures its structural soundness. It must be in good condition for the rest of the home, including the frame, walls, and roof, to maintain its structural integrity.
Unfortunately, foundation difficulties can be caused by water damage, geological concerns, and even poor workmanship. To accurately assess the seriousness of the condition, an expert inspection is required. Before listing the house for sale, you will need to fix it if it is horrible. A structural engineer should be consulted if the issue is severe enough.
A house inspector will be able to spot a structural problem, but they might not completely understand what has to be done to fix it. There are different types of structural flaws.
Prior to listing your house for sale, you ought to address any structural issues if you have the resources to do so. Some buyers may simply leave the deal if there is a serious structural issue.
2. Termites and Other Pests
One of the more typical conditions in a real estate deal is a pest inspection. When purchasing a home, the majority of purchasers will look for bugs.
Finding out that termites have been chewing on your cherished property can be very upsetting. You cannot, however, afford to ignore the issue. They will keep acting in the same way, which will only make the problem worse.
Any pest, from ants to mice, can be said to have the same effect. Before the sale, get an expert to solve the issue and fix the damage. Ants and mice are not a major problem and can be dealt with quite simply, but termites are a serious issue since they can ruin structural integrity.
3. Water and Drainage Issues
The presence of water damage in a home in the past will terrify a buyer faster than anything else. This is one of the main reasons that buyers back out of real estate transactions, in my experience. An inspection issue that occurs frequently is water penetration. Of course, there are several types of water problems.
For instance, most buyers won’t be as tolerant if your basement floods every time there is a light storm. Water is a serious problem that needs to be solved before your house can be sold. Finding the cause of the issue is among the most crucial things you can do.
To maintain the integrity of your home, proper drainage is necessary. Water causes interior erosion and mould, neither of which are desirable to a buyer. Fortunately, these problems can be resolved. I’m glad the inspector noticed it before it got out of hand. If not, you can be in for significant harm.
4. Mould Problems
Mould, a serious issue for homeowners, is frequently brought on by dampness. One of the issues that are currently at the centre of real estate sales is mould. Many prospective homebuyers are now aware of the health risks that mould can provide.
Mould can affect anyone with an upper respiratory condition.
The last thing you want is for a buyer to discover mould in your home and, worse still, that it hasn’t been dealt with.
If at all feasible, take care of your mould issue before listing your house for sale. Fortunately, mould remediation businesses do a fantastic job of cleaning up and preventing the issue’s source, which is often water intrusion into the home.
5. Electrical/Wiring Issues
You don’t need an ancient house to have electrical issues. Electrical problems would be near the top of my list of the most frequent things found during home inspections if someone were to ask me.
There is almost never an electricity issue.
Typical Wiring Issues
These are a few of the most typical wiring issues:
- Breakers in the electrical panel that are double tapped.
- Ground fault interrupters are absent.
- Reverse the outlets’ polarity.
- the absence of grounded wiring.
- Typically, these electrical issues are not too serious, making repairs affordable.
6. Plumbing Issues
Your home’s plumbing may have been constructed with unsafe materials, such as lead, or it may have been intended to take a much less load than is typical today.
It’s likely that you will need to address it before you sell the house if the home inspector finds a problem with it. Another typical issue that buyers don’t want to deal with is plumbing problems.
Following are a few of the more typical plumbing-related home inspection issues:
- dripping faucets
- loose restrooms
- leaky fittings and valves near the hot water tank and heating system
7. Home Buyers Will Examine the Quantity and Quality of Water
Customers will anticipate that your home complies with the requirements for clean drinking water. There may occasionally be substances in the water that do not comply with EPA standards but do not pose a serious threat to health.
Expect a buyer to request cleanup if your property has lead, mercury, or arsenic, for example. Houses for sale in Inner West provide this request already for their potential buyers.
An inspector will normally look that the well will generate a minimum amount of water while assessing a well’s quantity. Five gallons per minute sustained over a period of four hours is the quantity that is frequently used as a minimum standard.
8. Asbestos Problems Can Be Difficult
However, if your house is older, asbestos can still be there. If necessary, certain businesses can securely remove it. Only when disturbed, which results in dust that you breathe in, is asbestos harmful. It’s preferable if you don’t try to get rid of the material yourself.
In residences, asbestos was frequently used to insulate plumbing pipes. Some varieties of floor tiles also contained it.
Only when asbestos is damaged does it pose a threat. It shouldn’t be a major problem if the asbestos is adequately wrapped or is not disturbed in any manner.
9. A Damaged Roof May Prevent Home Sales
Before putting your house on the market, it’s crucial to determine whether the roof needs to be replaced. Due to the subjectivity around when it will need to be replaced, the roof is one of the most contentious areas of a home inspection.
The roof is frequently declared to be reaching its end of life but still has a few years before it needs to be replaced by a house inspection. This may mean NOW in the eyes of the customer. Do you think it will be a couple more years?
It is preferable to have proof from a qualified roofer than to learn that you require a new roof from the buyer’s house inspector.
10. Lead Paint Could Be a Problem
In residences, lead paint usage was prohibited in the late 1970s. A mandatory lead paint form must be completed and signed by both purchasers and sellers in any home built prior to 1978. If a buyer has a child residing in the house who is six years old or younger, the lead paint must be removed or encapsulated.
Because lead paint can cause health problems, it is no longer used in homes. Ingesting lead paint can result in fatal health problems and other serious consequences.
One of the potential problems with a house inspection that requires complete disclosure is lead paint. A form that asks sellers to declare whether or not they are aware that their house contains lead must be signed by them. When purchasing a home, buyers are permitted to check for the same.
