So you have decided to hire a home inspector to examine your potential home. Smart decision. And you have also gone through the walk-through with him, asking him all the necessary questions, and making your own notes of what should or shouldn’t be replaced or repaired. Now, you’re just waiting for his written report to arrive shortly. And when you get it, now what?

A home inspector’s report is a long document that a summary of every observation that he made. It can be intimidating, if not overwhelming, especially if you’re worried about whatever repair costs you might have to consider after the home inspector lists them down.

But you don’t need to be alarmed. This is just another reason why you must be present during the inspection. You see, it is one thing to hear about various small problems while you are walking around the property with the home inspector. As your home inspector gives you all the run-down of what the problem areas are and other safety issues, the real context might probably be modified with reassurances that “this is just a maintenance issue” or “it would be good to fix when you get around to it.” You feel relieved when you hear these words, and you should be, because they are designed to make you feel exactly that way.

However, the situation can be entirely different once you read a long list of problems that would make your home less like a dream home and more like a dump. How on earth are you ever going to pay for all this?

Relax. Don’t panic. After you read your home inspector’s report for the first time, take a deep breath and drink if you must. Then, sit down and read it again, this time with a pen and paper at hand.

Okay, now take it one step at a time. Look at each “problem” item on the home inspector’s report first, then ask yourself the following questions:

Is this a minor maintenance problem or a major repair?
Is this an issue related to the age of the house? Because if it is, then it might just be part of the “charm” of the home, especially if your house is an old one. You might include floors that slope a bit from settlement or door and windows that are slightly out of plumb on the list of your home’s old charm.
Is this a problem that must be dealt with immediately? Or is it just something that should be done eventually?
Give what you know about house prices in your locality, might this problem have already been taken into consideration in pricing the house?
Does this problem merit further investigation?
Are you wiling to walk away from the house because of any or all of these problems?

If you find any minor items in your home inspector’s report, they are not worth discussing. You should know by now that no house is perfect. It is enough that you take care of the really bad ones, or walk away when the cost is just too steep.

There is a lot of free information available to you about buying, selling or investing in real estate. For complete information about the real estate market including current homes for sale, property values and more please visit the most complete website online dedicated to everything real estate. So please feel free to contact me with any of your mortgage questions and I will me more than glad to answer your queries. Call me on my cell at 561-213-6154 or email me at Maria@iSellBocaHomes.com.

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