The time has come for you to kick it into high gear; your offer was accepted and now you have a set time (usually no more than two weeks) to do your due diligence, present your findings, and negotiate as seen fit. Wow, well let's get on with it!

​

Why do inspections? Really, why? 

​

Well there are many schools of thought here and I go with better safe than sorry. This is possibly your biggest investment of your life. Let me ask you this, if you buy a used car, would you like to have a mechanic look at it other than the one selling it to you? Hard to say no to that. 

​

Furthermore, if you are getting a mortgage, there are likely one or two items they will require you to check. Beyond that, it's a good idea to get some of the major items looked at. It is important to consider having the water tested, septic inspected, air tested, and a general home inspection. If you suspect mold, get a mold test. If you think the furnace looks rough, get a technician in to give it a look. It is very rare that a buyer does all of their desired inspections and is upset that they did.

 

Often they find minor issues that can be resolved before closing or decidedly will not be, but they are now known, and often something comes up with issues that the seller had no idea about. This is where the inspections are worth their price. Let's say you do a septic inspection and find out the whole system needs to be replaced. Even if the seller won't replace it or budge on the price, at the end of the day you can back out of the deal and save yourself from putting down your life savings only to realize in time that you need another large sum of money to replace your septic system. 

​

Inspections are not cheap. Ball-parking here... about $500 for a septic inspection, $500 for a home inspection, add on a water test, radon air test... etc. Sure, it adds up, but this is for the house.... the home... the abode... the bungalow.... your dream. Inspections are advised and at the end of the day if you find nothing wrong, well you paid for peace of mind :)