FOUR THINGS A HOME BUYER NEEDS TO KNOW
One of my favorite TV shows is Shark Tank, a reality show where entrepreneurs have the opportunity to offer up equity in their businesses to seasoned and successful business people, in exchange for capital infusion (money) and marketing help. One of the 'sharks' on the show is Barbara Corcoran who started The Corcoran Group, a real estate firm in New York City.
She was being interviewed on a talk show this past week, and while I mostly agree with her advice, I took issue with her take on real estate agents recommending home inspectors. She opined that agents who recommend home inspectors have the inspector beholden and that the inspector wouldn't do anything to sour a deal. In my business, this could not be farther from the truth. I routinely recommend Chris Taylor with HomeSafe Inspection. In the many years of recommending Chris Taylor and HomeSafe Inspection, I have had not only satisfied buyers, but buyers most impressed with his reports and findings. I routinely work with investor buyers from out of state who never see the property prior to closing and rely on me and Chris to be their eyes and ears as to the condition of the property.
What's behind the walls? As Corcoran said in her interview, what's behind the walls of that house is most important. Chris Taylor is the only inspector I know of who uses an infrared camera to see what's inside the walls. His camera will identify moisture that the naked eye cannot see. This photo was included in a recent report. Do you see how the infrared camera identifies clearly where the moisture is?
Why is the seller selling? Knowing why the seller is moving will help a buyer in gauging the seller's motivation to sell, whether it is to downsize or transfer to a new city.
She was being interviewed on a talk show this past week, and while I mostly agree with her advice, I took issue with her take on real estate agents recommending home inspectors. She opined that agents who recommend home inspectors have the inspector beholden and that the inspector wouldn't do anything to sour a deal. In my business, this could not be farther from the truth. I routinely recommend Chris Taylor with HomeSafe Inspection. In the many years of recommending Chris Taylor and HomeSafe Inspection, I have had not only satisfied buyers, but buyers most impressed with his reports and findings. I routinely work with investor buyers from out of state who never see the property prior to closing and rely on me and Chris to be their eyes and ears as to the condition of the property.
What's behind the walls? As Corcoran said in her interview, what's behind the walls of that house is most important. Chris Taylor is the only inspector I know of who uses an infrared camera to see what's inside the walls. His camera will identify moisture that the naked eye cannot see. This photo was included in a recent report. Do you see how the infrared camera identifies clearly where the moisture is?
In addition to hiring a good home inspector, the three other areas the buyer should investigate are:
What is the history of the listing? Not all buyers realize that an agent has the ability to pull a property's complete history from Multiple Listing Service (MLS). This will allow a buyer to see how long a property has been on the market (even when more than one agent has had the property listed) and the pricing history (original price and reductions) as well.
What is going on in the area and in the neighborhood? This requires the buyer to get involved. It's not a bad idea to visit the property at different times of day and different days during the week, even at night. I fell in love with a property once only to find that the shopping center the property adjoined made it impossible to see the stars at night, a necessity in my book of wants and needs. I was showing a house to a couple recently for the second time on a Saturday afternoon, and they ruled it out because of the noise generated by cars racing at Road Atlanta. Looking at an aerial map, one would have never dreamed they could create that kind of noise from that distance.
For help with buying or selling real estate in North Georgia, visit my website at KimWaters.com and contact me. Here's my newest Lake Lanier listing...
Hermosa Beach Home Inspector Service can help in providing information regarding light switch labeling, water heater, electrical wires and about other household materials. It’s beneficial to know about the home improvement information.
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