By Barry Stone
Dear Barry,
The home I'm buying is so well-built and so well-maintained that a home inspection seems completely unnecessary. Besides that, the down payment is taking nearly everything I have, so I'm hoping to save the inspection fee. If you still believe that an inspection is indispensable, please let me know why? - Caldwell
Dear Caldwell,
The most risky mistake you can make as a home buyer is to bet your money on the seeming flawlessness of any property. A faulty choice in any other transaction is minor by comparison. A poor selection at the supermarket could cost you tens of dollars. An impulsive car purchase, several thousand. But a blind leap into real estate can damage you to the tune of tens of thousands, not to mention the months or years of aggravation and regret. Acquiring maximum information before making that critical purchase can spare you from immeasurable disappointment and loss.
Property defects can be deceptive. They come in all sizes, shapes, severities and costs. Some are obvious and apparent, while others are elusive, except to the eye of a qualified professional. There are common visible problems involving deferred maintenance and routine wear and tear-the handyman repairs. But there are also items of major concern: construction defects, structural inadequacies, safety violations, substandard materials and workmanship, unpermitted alterations and other conditions of financial consequence.
The vast array of potential defects is limitless, wide-ranging and often misleading in appearance. Some problems are readily apparent, while others elude easy perception. Some appear alarming to the uninitiated, such as wall and ceiling cracks, which a qualified inspector might attribute to normal building stress. In contrast, some defects, such as rubbing doors, are seemingly minor but might actually indicate major building settlement. And there are critical safety issues that would escape the attention of the average home buyer, such as internal defects in fireplaces, substandard wiring in electric service panels or faulty exhaust venting at gas furnaces-conditions that could be life-threatening and might go unnoticed until found and reported by a qualified inspector.
All homes, regardless or age or condition, harbor a short, medium or long list of such defects. Learning which of these potential problems underlies the attractive surface of the new or used home you plan to buy can determine the nature of your post escrow experience-whether you will be happy and satisfied with your wise and well-informed purchase or frustrated and overwhelmed when the true character of your acquisition becomes apparent.
A buyer's first line of defense against such loss is the process known as home inspection. Don't believe in a home without it.
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