Before you buy a new home, get the inspection
If the asking price seems too good to be true, check it out — again and again
I took photographs of three condos I wanted to buy and sent them out to a bunch of family and friends. I didn’t tell them the pros and cons. I just wanted them to look at photos and choose whichever one they liked the best. Once they chose, then I replied with what was wrong with the place to see if they changed their minds. Almost everyone had a change of heart. Whether written or in-person, an inspection can make the perfect place seem “meh.”
But that still didn’t stop me from complaining about shelling out $300 for a home inspection for my “dream condo.” I absolutely loved this place. It was near public transportation, had easy parking, my work commute wouldn’t take long and the rooms were a nice size. One living room wall made solely of mirrors was probably going to make me a wee bit vain, but it was my favorite feature to show off in the photos. I was ready to sign on the dotted line and had already put down a deposit. The price was right. My social circle voted on this place dead last. I did not care. It would be mine.
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When my real estate agent told me I had to get an inspection before moving forward with the mortgage company, I thought it was a waste of money. Why? I loved everything. I already had to get the appraisal to confirm the value, so why did I need this extra step, too? My real estate agent insisted. I finally backed down. This was the first home I was buying, so I may as well cross off the entire homebuyer checklist.
Recommended Read: “5 lessons I learned as a first-time home buyer”
I strolled into my dream condo fairly confident that the inspector would find absolutely nothing wrong. Even when the original homeowner changed the agreement to “purchase as is” shortly before our second visit, I shrugged. I wanted it as is, so it made me no never mind. But the inspector hadn’t even gotten to work yet when we found the first flaw.
He needed a place to plug in his smartphone. The first outlet didn’t work. Then the next one wouldn’t work. OK, minor electricity work needed. No big deal.
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Then he went into the kitchen. The stove wouldn’t turn on at all unless you turned on two burners at the same time. Ok, a little vintage, but my childhood stove had seen better days, too. I survived that. I could shell out the money for a new stove.
He walked into the bedroom and pointed out that the closet doors were out of alignment. All of them — as if someone’s do-it-yourself project was abandoned halfway through. By the time he paused near the fuse box, I was tired of hearing him talk. The home inspector noticed it was so old that it would absolutely need to be replaced before I could even move in.