I have had this conversation with several of my clients recently, so I thought that this would be a good thing to share with everyone. The question is usually something to the effect of: I really like this property, could I get it inspected before I make an offer?
The simple answer is yes. You can pay an inspector to come to the property and write you a report. You have to ok it with the sellers. As long as they are ok with an up to two hour showing, it will work.
The better answer is that you should put the property under contract before you do that. The reason that most people want to do the inspection is because they like the house and they want to make sure that there is nothing that they can’t see that would stop them from buying the house. That is already built in to any contract that I would write for you. Once you put a property under contract you have (typically) two weeks to do as many inspections as you want and then ask the sellers to remedy any issues that come up, or change the purchase price, or countless other options of negotiation.
The reason that I say to put it under contract is because then you have a legal document saying that you have the right to purchase that property, and that you are above all others in that right. If you simply do an inspection before you have a property under contract, then the property can be put under contract by anyone. So while you are getting your report, you could be losing the house. And you just paid for a report that no longer matters to you.
If you have the property under contract, and the inspection comes up with something that you don’t want to deal with, and that the seller wont do, you get out of the contract. And then the few hundred dollars that you spent on that inspection saved you from thousands, or tens of thousands of dollars of repair. Money very well spent.
My simple advice is that if you like a property, make the offer. That way if you continue to want it, you already have it. If you find something that makes you not want it, and the seller wont fix it, then you can cancel the contract.
I love doing what I do. I love looking at the market, and I love building relationships with the people that I get to help. Let me know how I can help you. Call me today. You can reach me at 515.639.0047 or RyanLynch@KW.com. I am good at what I do, and I want to help you.
~Ryan Lynch
