Upcoming Free (& non-promotional) Home Buyer Classes:
Saturday, November 3rd, from 9am-12pm (ish)
Marshall Community Center, conference room
1009 E. McLoughlin Blvd, Vancouver WA (kitty corner from Clark College)
Saturday, November 10th, from 12pm-3pm (ish)
Vancouver YMCA, conference room
11324 NE 51st Circle, Vancouver WA (corner of SR500 & Gher Road/112th Ave)
Tuesday, November 13th , from 5pm-8pm (ish)
Marshall Community Center, conference room
1009 E. McLoughlin Blvd, Vancouver WA (kitty corner from Clark College)
If these class dates and/or times don’t work for you, please let us know. We understand that you have lives, and families, and work. We will work something out that works better with your schedule. Just let us know….
….we also have home seller classes available too…link on left on website
Remember…with reservation…we will throw in lunch, or dinner! 😀
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Happy …Monday?
I think it is Monday anyhow… my timeline is still a bit out of whack… jumping time zones, and then the daylight savings time ending, I am not even sure what day, or time it is. I love, love, LOVE November & December! The last 3 months of the year are my favorite. I love the argument between Pumpkin Spice or Apple Cider (Apple Cider is the best by the way followed closely by all things peppermint). I love the colors, the smells, the holi-daze, the weather, and the coziness of it all. I have a body made for winter clothes. 😀 It would be nice if my 8 year old would stop handing me catalogues with items she thinks Santa is going to bring her for Christmas though…
We do have an exciting event coming up though…. Winter Client Appreciation!
Saturday, November 17th, from 3pm-6pm, Chris Berg & I are thrilled to be hosting the NEW, ‘Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them’ movie!! You know the drill… let me, or Chris Berg (cberg@pcmloan.com) know how many adults & kids tickets you need…. and yes, there are some 21+ tickets available as well. Limit of 6 tickets please unless you have talked to me or Chris Berg about it first. We are excited to see you soon!! 🙂 …and Thank YOU.. Thank you for your referrals! Thank you for recommending us, or the classes to those you know (and on Facebook too), and THANK YOU for letting us to be part of your home adventures. We appreciate you so much
So last time I talked about Inspections and Repairs, but what happens after that? This is the part that gets kind of ‘hairy & scary’…..
As part of your inspection response (the 35r), your Realtor will want to make sure that ‘all repairs are subject to re-inspection’. What this means is that after the repairs are done, you have the right to have them re-inspected to make they are completed, and completed correctly. When the repair request comes in from a buyer, the sellers agent and the sellers go over the requested repairs together and the seller chooses how to respond to those requests. If both parties can not come to an agreement on repairs then the deal dies, but let’s assume for the sake of this email, that both parties have agreed to some repairs. At this time it is the sellers responsibility to have those items repaired. Some seller agents will leave it up to the sellers and not follow up. I do not agree with this method, but again…that is just my opinion. Some seller agents will set up all the repairs to be done for the sellers, and some will help the sellers with names/numbers of contractors (if requested) for the sellers to contact so they can ‘shop’ around. Honestly, this part depends on the Realtor in question, and the sellers themselves. When working as a sellers agent, I ask my clients if they would like me to schedule the repairs, of if they would like me to help with names and numbers for them to contact. Either way, it is the sellers agents job to follow up on those agreed upon repairs to make certain they were completed. At this time, the sellers agent will let them buyers agent know that the repairs are completed so the buyers lender can order the appraisal and/or so the buyers can have the opportunity to do the re-inspection.
A re-inspection with the inspector does cost money. The inspector will come back out to verify the requested (agreed upon) repairs were actually completed. We’d like to think that the sellers will do the repairs, but too many times I have seen it where they have not. Once the deal is closed, and the buyers are the new owners it is very difficult (almost impossible) to get anything from the previous owners. It’s always better to be safe than sorry, right? So yes, the re-inspection is another non-refundable fee of approximately $150 (ish), but if the repairs were not done….or done correctly… it gives you, the buyer, the opportunity to halt the transaction until it is done.
If any of the work was done by licensed contractors (and that will need to be clarified as part of the home inspection requests), please make certain you receive the receipts. This gives you the opportunity and ability to go back to the contractor who did the repairs if something should happen, or go wrong. If you lose a receipt, ask your Realtor…. I always keep copies of those. 🙂 Unfortunately, sometimes, no matter what we do to protect you in your home purchase, sometimes…things still do go wrong. Remember what I said last time… you are purchasing a used home, and you really never know what is going to happen until you start living in it. Everyone lives in their homes differently and each home reacts differently to each home owner. Weird, but true… it’s a lot like a car. A home warranty, in a lot of cases, is your best friend. Always get a home warranty… and there are 3 ways to get one… you can pay for it, the sellers can pay for it, or your Realtor can pay for it. I always ask the sellers to pay for the home warranty, but if they don’t then I will pay for the first year…..because things do happen and go wrong, and that is the last thing you need to be worried about. A home warranty does NOT cover roofing, windows, walls, floors, or siding, but it does cover electrical, plumbing, heating, water heaters, built in appliances. There is a small co-pay, but if something happens you give the home warranty a call and they’ll come out to repair, or replace it. Home warranties are a very good thing. It’s peace of mind…
As I mentioned…things can go wrong no matter what we do to try to protect you. I have a client who purchased a home this summer. This was a very difficult transaction, but we made it happen. My clients were amazing and persevered through it all. The home itself had been a rental for a number of years, and we could tell there had been some ‘deferred maintenance’. After they closed there were a couple of leakage issues that we had home warranty to come in to cover…irritating, but not the end of the world. Then there was ‘the call’… they had sewage backing up in their master shower. What?!?!?! We had a septic report showing the septic had been inspected and pumped so what the heck was this? They had a plumber come out who inspected the line and there was a break in the line. Oh crap….literally….. The plumber said that this was not a new break…this had been there for awhile. Remember how I said that this had been a rental? The question becomes…did the sellers know about it? One would assume that the renters told the previous owners about it, but we know what they say about ‘assume’, right? Did the septic person check the sewage line as part of their inspection? None of this was mentioned on the sellers disclosures. So, where does that leave my clients? I contacted the sellers agent requesting the sellers information as my clients were requesting to talk to them about it. They just wanted to ask some questions and talk to them. The sellers agent would not give me that information and told me that, “the transaction is closed, and it’s not appropriate for us to be involved anymore”. Is he incorrect? No…and unfortunately, yes.
Real estate is not about houses….or not just about houses… Real estate is about relationships. A Realtors relationship with their clients should go beyond just getting keys. I feel that my clients are more than ‘clients’….they’re friends. I am always there to help in any way I can. In this particular instance, my clients have a major issue that there is a darn good chance the sellers were aware of and did not disclose. They had questions and wanted to talk with the sellers. I did what I could to help them find that information so they could ask questions and talk to the previous owners. Because they couldn’t talk to the sellers, they have now gone to the courts. It’s sadly true. My clients have spoken to an attorney about claims as there is some evidence the previous renters told the previous homeowners about the break in the line. That is the key to liability… the question really is IF the sellers knew about the line and did not disclose it, or repair it. So what about the yes? Legally, once the transaction is closed, technically we (as Realtors) are no longer involved with anything to do with it.
Another client recently had their chimney inspected (we had requested that as part of the inspection process, but the sellers countered back on agreeing to do about 5 items, but not 3 of the requested items. The chimney inspection was one of the items that the sellers were not doing. A chimney inspection is about $150 so my clients were ok doing it themselves after closing). The chimney inspector noted that the brand new mantel that the sellers had put in was nailed through the flue. This isn’t good as the mantel has to be pulled out, and the flue replaced. There is an insert (which is amazing), but no metal chimney pipe going up through the chimney that will need to be put in. The sellers would honestly have had no clue about the insert and the lack of the chimney piping as that was done before their ownership. The previous owners also purchased the home as a bank foreclosure so they had purchased it ‘as-is’. The mantel though…it was pretty, and yes, the seller did it himself. However, nailing it through the flue? He probably had no idea that he had done that as nope…not a contractor. I had contacted the sellers agent asking who installed the mantle (praying that there was a contractor that we could talk to), and the sellers agent contacted me back that the seller had just done some cosmetics to it…that was it. Not necessarily true… the old pictures are still online. The brick chimney was taken out and the mantle put in. That’s a bit more than cosmetics in my opinion. However, where does this one leave my clients? Excellent question and one I am not sure of myself honestly. I don’t have an answer here…. the photos of the home when last listed (from when the sellers purchased the home) shows something entirely different with that chimney. The seller did the work himself, and it was a bit more than cosmetic, but did he KNOW that he damaged the flue when he did that? Remember… knowledge. It really comes down to whether or not he knew about it and did not disclose or repair it. We KNOW he changed it, but I think it would be very difficult to prove that the seller KNEW that damage had been done and that he knowingly didn’t disclose it to my clients. Most likely he made those changes (that ‘could’ be termed cosmetic), but the likelihood that he knew that he damaged the flue doing it is pretty unlikely. Ugh… real estate.. luckily for ALL of us, instances like these two are pretty rare.
So what happens AFTER the inspection? A lot. Any agreed upon repairs need to be completed, followed up on, and receipts gathered up. The appraisal needs to be ordered, and final paperwork for your lender needs to be turned in.
The inspection is one of the most important parts of your home buying (and selling) adventure. No one deal is the same and every transaction has its own path to completion. Most cases things go pretty smoothly and everyone does what they are supposed to do, and follows directions. However, sometimes, sometimes, sometimes….things get a bit ‘hairy and scary’….
Information is power, and as always…May the odds be ever in your favor out there…. If you are looking for a real estate agent, I would love to be able to help you.
If you have any questions, or comments please get a hold of me anytime. You can call, text, email, or even facebook me. Please remember that while I mean these emails/blogs to be helpful, and educational, I am still hoping that you will call, or email me as I would be honored to help you with your home buying, or home selling adventure.
As always….this is just a quick overview…. again…and I can’t say this enough…please remember that your agent is NOT a salesperson, and should not be acting like one. Real Estate is not really about houses, it is about relationships. Your agent, and your lender work for YOU. You drive the bus…we are merely GPS to help you get to your goals. Like the classes, this weekly blog email is to help you with your home adventure. The goal is to be informative and non-promotional. 🙂 We are, however, hoping you will call and want us to help with your adventure.
Thank you again for your business and your referrals!! …and thank you for referring these classes to your friends, family, and co-workers.
….disclaimer…if you have already purchased a home, or would no longer like to receive these emails, please let me know and I will be happy to remove you from any further mailings…
Upcoming Topics:
Delayed Possession… What is this & what does it mean to you
Interest Rates (information from Chris Berg, Pinnacle Mortgage)
What do I need to buy a home,
Hiring a Realtor…questions to ask,
What if I don’t have a Down Payment? ….. &….
What does an Agent do for me?
Debt to Income Ratios….What is this?
Last Week: Home Inspections & seller disclosure
Have a great day, and I will talk to you soon,
;-D
