Home Inspection Contingency Havok in Waldorf
September 25, 2008 by Admin · Leave a Comment
I firmly believe that getting a home inspection when buying a home in Charles County or Waldorf is a MUST DO sort of thing. Home inspectors are worth their weight in gold when they catch a huge flaw in a property that nobody else noticed.
Sometimes however, they seem to get a little over-zealous. On a recent home inspection, an inspector informed the buyer that he found “major structural problems” in the foundation of the home and that repairs would cost big bucks. The buyer became nervous and the seller offered to pay a structural engineer to look at the home.
The structural engineer decided that the home was just fine, and there was no risk of the home being “structurally unsound”. What the inspector saw was normal settling, and there was no cause for concern.
Of course, this went over like a lead balloon to the buyer. They were certain the engineer was going to find major problems, and the buyer has the right to walk away from the contract for any reason related to the inspection. Who knows if it was a lack of faith in the engineer, or too much faith in the inspector, but the contract was rescinded. This brings up a good lesson:
Inspectors are not necessarily structural engineers. they can point out an area of concern, but unless they are also licensed structural engineers, they may not be the best source to advise a buyer on the structural integrity of a home.
It would seem that it makes a whole lot more sense to recommend a structural engineer be hired to assess the situation rather than panic people. In this case, it cost the seller $800 (for the structral engineer to inspect) and the contract on their home over an issue that turned out to not be a structural concern. The buyer was within their right, and the concern is understandable, but it stinks when you as a seller offer to come out of your pocket to ensure the quality of the home.
~Jonathan Benya- Realtor
Century 21 New Millennium
9405-A Chesapeake St
La Plata, MD 20646
301-609-9000
301-653-8116
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