first time buyers

[John Dirks Jr]

I dont get the "would you buy this house" question very often. Matter a fact, only once that I can remember.

I do get the "are the sellers responsible to fix all this stuff" question now and then.

So far the way I handle it is buy telling them that usually things are negotiable and what is in the contract is important. I tell them that those negotiations are made through their agent. I give them various possibilities while while asserting the fact that I don't know what the contract says. I tell them to read the contract and work with their agent. I tell them that if something doesn't sound right or they feel uncomfortable to let the parties know how they feel. I tell them this is "your" deal and "you" are in the drivers seat and don't allow yourself to be pushed around. I mention that sometimes negotiating terms fails and the deal does not go down.

[hausdok]

Ok,

For that, I just tell 'em; "That's not why I'm here. You hired me to do an inspection. I have nothing to do with who fixes what or who's responsible to fix stuff and frankly I don't care. Your agent gets paid to help you figure out that kind of stuff and to negotiate on your behalf. Make him earn his money!"

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Jim Morrison]

John,

I respectfully submit that there are only three potentially correct answers to: 'Are the sellers required to fix this stuff?"

1) Yes.

2) No. Or

3) I don't know.

What you wrote is an attempt at satisfying an already confused person with a non-answer in an attempt to avoid answering their question directly. It might pacify them for the moment, but I don't think it's particularly helpful.

[hausdok]

Hi Jimmy,

Well, I'm happy to help all day; when it's got something to do with why I'm there, but who fixes what and who pays for it isn't what I'm hired to figure out, so I refuse to go there.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Jim Morrison]

Mike,

We are in violent agreement.

Jimmy

[hausdok]

Uh, oooooo'k

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Tom Raymond]

Jimmy forgot the fourth and most plausable answer, "maybe".

Tom

[Jim Morrison]

Well, not to beat a dead horse, but I think that as a response to 'Are the sellers responsible to make these repairs?'; 'maybe' isn't plausible at all. It invites followup questions an HI isn't there to answer.

I try hard to stick to what I'm good at. That means I answer questions about houses, not (often complicated) real estate transactions.

[Tom Raymond]

Sorry, I should have included a smiley. You can let your poor horse rest in peace.

Tom

[Jim Morrison]

[]

[Bain]

I was asked the, "Should I buy this house," question as recently as this afternoon. I explained to the guy that if he was paying 30K for the house, he should buy it and ten more just like it.

However, if the appraisal came in at or near the purchase price and the appraiser didn't include the failed roof and HVAC system, along with the Stab-Lok panel, in his calculations, I wouldn't buy it unless the seller gave me appropriate relief on the sales price.

My business is successful because of client referrals, so whether these kinds of questions fall under the purview of a property inspection or not, I try to be as helpful as I can. But only if asked . . .

And it's incredibly gratifying when someone looks into my face and it's plainly evident that he realizes I'm on his side and that I'm someone he can trust.

[Garet]

I usually answer "The Question" with something like this...

"I'd buy any house, as long as the price was right and I knew it's physical condition. I can only help you with one of those two items."

[John Dirks Jr]

John,

I respectfully submit that there are only three potentially correct answers to: 'Are the sellers required to fix this stuff?"

1) Yes.

2) No. Or

3) I don't know.

What you wrote is an attempt at satisfying an already confused person with a non-answer in an attempt to avoid answering their question directly. It might pacify them for the moment, but I don't think it's particularly helpful.

I understand your point Jim. I suppose if I choose to respond to the question with anything beyond the three choices you list, I should begin with a warning of the possibility of further confusion.

I admit I sometimes struggle to just be blunt.

[Chad Fabry]

I admit I sometimes struggle to just be blunt.

I have exactly the opposite problem.

[John Dirks Jr]

I admit I sometimes struggle to just be blunt.

I have exactly the opposite problem.

More often than not, that's probably a good thing.

[Rob Amaral]

MA HI Law prohibits us from answering the 'buy/no-buy' question.. I tell them at the beginning about the MA law... as for 'who pays', I tell them at the beginning that if we find 'stuff', they can figure out how to deal with it when you get the report with 'your team'.. 'we don't have a real estate license'..

[kurt]

Yep, we're (in Illinois) prohibitied from "commenting on advisability of purchase".

I'm a law breaker on occasion.

I have a simple formula. If I know the answer to a question, I answer the question.

All one has to know is what one doesn't know.

[Les]

thought this was appropriate - copied from an inspector's site that "just wants to get along"

"What Really Matters

Buying a home? The process can be stressful. A home inspection is supposed to give you peace of mind, but often has the opposite effect. You will be asked to absorb a lot of information in a short time. This often includes a written report, checklist, photographs, environmental reports and what the inspector himself says during the inspection. All this combined with the seller's disclosure and what you notice yourself makes the experience even more overwhelming. What should you do?

Relax. Most of your inspection will be maintenance recommendations, life expectancies and minor imperfections. These are nice to know about. However, the issues that really matter will fall into four categories:

Major defects. An example of this would be a structural failure.

Things that lead to major defects. A small roof-flashing leak, for example.

Things that may hinder your ability to finance, legally occupy or insure the home.

Safety hazards, such as an exposed, live buss bar at the electric panel.

Anything in these categories should be addressed. Often a serious problem can be corrected inexpensively to protect both life and property (especially in categories 2 and 4).

Most sellers are honest and are often surprised to learn of defects uncovered during an inspection. Realize that sellers are under no obligation to repair everything mentioned in the report. No home is perfect. Keep things in perspective. Do not kill your deal over things that do not matter. It is inappropriate to demand that a seller address deferred maintenance, conditions already listed on the seller's disclosure or nit-picky items."

seems this is the majority attitude in the inspection business.

[gtblum]

How embarassing.

[kurt]

I hate that, only because I still don't understand why we get plugged with "killing the deal".

I don't kill deals. I tell folks what my state licensing says I have to tell them. Folks do what they think is necessary with the information I give them. Everyone is different.

Last time I checked, it's legal and OK for someone to not buy a house if they don't want to. If my information makes them not want to, that is their choice.

[Marc]

When the client asks me if they should buy or not, I remind them that they had the wisdom to hire an HI, perhaps a termite inspector, agent, etc. Each of these professionals has offered guidance or reported to the client which makes that client the most knowledgable and therefore most qualified person to make that decision. For me to advise them on that question would be a disservice to them.