Health & Fitness
Home Inspections More Important Than Ever
It used to be that buying a home in "as is" condition was reserved for foreclosures, but new changes regional home purchase contract has all property selling "as is," which means Buyer Beware.
When I represent buyers in a home purchase, I have always recommend that they get a home inspection. I also push for the use of an inspector that is licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia and is a member of a home inspector’s association.
The benefit of association membership is that they are usually guided by a standard of practice and a code of ethics. There are several such associations; American Society of Home Inspectors and the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors are two such organizations.
As of Jan. 1, 2012, buyers have an even greater need for the services of good quality home inspectors as changes to the standard home purchase contract used by the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors now states that all homes are basically sold in “AS IS” condition.
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The old contract contained language that required that the basic systems of the home - electrical, plumbing and appliances - all had to be in normal working condition. Now the responsibility for identifying problems in a property falls completely to the buyer. To protect the home buyer the buyer’s agent will need to add home inspection language that requires the sellers to make corrections to defects found during the home inspection or reduce their selling price.
If you’re in the market for a new home this year, be sure that you use a licensed home inspector who is trained to thoroughly evaluate the condition of the home; and make sure your agent is prepared to negotiate hard on your behalf to have problems corrected.
