The New England Real Estate Team

 

Step 7: The Inspection.

 

In Massachusetts the offer to purchase gives the buyer the opportunity to inspect the property. All sales should be contingent upon any home inspection. Even the mortgage companies require a home inspection contingency. All home inspectors in Massachusetts are trained and licensed and will conduct a thorough general inspection. The home inspector may recommend additional inspection if areas beyond his own level of expertise is warranted, such as structural engineers, heating and cooling technicians, pest inspectors and so on. Once the inspections are complete you can request the sellers to repair any deficiencies, and/or compensate for any deficiencies, or you can withdraw from the offer.



 

Inspection period.

In Massachusetts, once an Offer to Purchase Real Estate Contract is signed by the buyer(s) and seller(s), the buyer(s) has a mutually agreed time period (usually 10 to 14 days) to conduct a professional home inspection by a state licensed home inspector. The seller(s) then has a mutually agreed upon period of time (usually 2 days) to respond to the outcome of the buyer(s) home inspection results.

In New Hampshire, once a Purchase and Sale Agreement is signed by the buyer(s) and the seller(s), the buyer(s) has a mutually agreed time period (usually 10 to 14 days) to conduct a home inspection with a state licensed home inspector. The seller(s) then has a mutually agreed upon period of time (usually 2 days) to respond to the outcome of the buyer(s) home inspection results.

Top



 

Hiring an Inspector.

Information on Home Inspectors and on hiring a state licensed Home Inspector is well covered by the

Massachusetts Board of Registration of Home Inspectors Fact Sheet

and the

 New Hampshire Home Inspectors Web Site.

List of Massachusetts Home Inspectors.

Top



 

Inspection of the property.

Information on Home Inspections is well covered by the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Home Inspectors Fact Sheet and the New Hampshire Home Inspectors Web Site.

Top



 

Request the seller repair/replace deficient items.

Without a home inspection, the buyer cannot determine if the property is truly worth the asking price. After the home inspection the home inspector should spend some time helping the buyer to interpret the home inspection report. Where advisable, the home inspector should, if required, recommend any follow-up inspections by structural, pest, environmental, and building contractors and other specialists. All these specialists will observe the condition of the property and identify problems that require correction, and make recommendations for upgrades and repairs. If possible, in Massachusetts, the home inspections and any follow-up investigations should be completed prior to the execution of the Purchase and Sale Agreement. Make sure the inspection contingency in the offer agreement does not lapse. Extensions of the inspection contingency are not unusual and should be requested in writing and agreed upon by both the seller and the buyer.

Should the home inspection reveal any major deficiencies effecting the habitability, function and condition of the property that requires additional costs to repair or upgrade then, the buyer can revisit the initial offered terms and purchase price and renegotiate the terms and the price so that they realistically reflect the actual condition of the property. The buyer and the seller must specify in the purchase and sale agreement any such terms, price and by whom and how the deficiencies are to be resolved.

Top



 

Create a Maintenance Log.

At the conclusion of an inspection, the home inspector will usually give the prospective buyer an inspection report. The inspection report may be a 3-ring binder or a bound report with pockets. Use this report to keep all you notes, receipts and any thing to be done or may have been done to the home. When it comes time to resell the home a seller then has a complete history and records of all that was done to the home.

If the inspector delivers a report recorded on any electronic media it is good practice to print the report on some form of paper media. A buyer may own his/her new home longer than the useful life of the recorded media.

Top

 

* Contact Us *

Go to Step8