The Home Inspection Process Explained

I have had a few first time buyers ask me if they need a home inspection.  My answer will always be yes. Even if money is no object and unless the property is a tear down, I believe every buyer should require a home inspection before signing the Purchase and Sale agreement.   When making an offer all buyers should be informed of their right to request an inspection.  An inspection is to recommended to protect the rights of a buyer and to allow the buyer to be well informed of their prospective purchase.  Inspections should be made for new as well as existing properties.    The inspector is hired by the buyer and the report should be totally independent of the seller.  

In this post I will explain the basics and give some helpful links.   Click here for Massachusetts consumer guidelines.  

What is involved? 

A home inspection is defined as an objective visual examination of the structure and systems of a home by an impartial, neutral third party not related to the buyer or seller. In layman’s terms, it shows you what’s wrong with the property you want to buy or sell and if it is serious enough to prevent a sale.

The three main points of the inspection include evaluating the physical condition of the home, including structure, construction and mechanical systems; identify items that need to be repaired or replaced; and estimating the remaining useful life of the major systems, equipment, structure, and finishes.

Basically, a home inspection is to inform the buyer of any readily visible major defects in the mechanical and structural components, and to disclose any significant health or safety issues by an independent agent who is not representative of the seller.  Particularly in new construction the buyer wants to be sure all the wiring and finishing cables, systems are in fact complete.   

Systems that are seasonally inoperable (swamp coolers, air conditioning, furnaces) may not be turned on during the inspection.  Additional items that may be included are Radon testing and if requested the buyer can hire specialists to look at Mold, Asbestos and Lead if suspected.  If items are raised of concern the buyer may be able to use this information to negotiate the final purchase price.  

(Of note, an inspector cannot report on defects that are not visible. For instance, defects hidden behind finished walls, beneath carpeting, behind storage items and in inaccessible areas, and even those that have been intentionally concealed.)  

How Do I Find an Inspector?

To hire an inspector, get recommendations from your Realtor, or from friends and family. You want to be sure your inspector is state certified.  Attached is a list of State Certified inspectors in Massachusetts.   When interviewing inspectors, be sure to ask for references and any memberships in professional associations. 

What should the buyer doing during the inspection?

It’s a good idea to be present during the inspection for a couple of reasons: First, you can ask the inspector questions during the inspection. Also, the inspector will have the opportunity to point out areas of potential trouble, which will mean more to you if you see it with your own eyes than read it in the inspector’s report later. Many inspectors also will offer maintenance tips as the inspection progresses.  I always suggest bringing a notebook and taking notes as the inspector points things out as they offer great suggestions for home maintenance and future ideas for improvements you may want to do once you own the property.

How Much Does it Cost and How Long Will it Take?

Remember that a thorough, accurate home inspection takes time. The last thing you want to do is to try to hurry the inspector along. The inspector’s most important priority is accuracy, and accuracy takes time. The chances of mistakes and missed conditions are much more likely the more the inspector rushes through. A typical timeframe should be about two to five hours depending on the size and age of the house.   

The cost will vary but be somewhere in the $200-$800 range depending on size.  There may be an additional cost for Radon or other special items.  

If you really want to learn even more about home inspections  I recommend reading a book called The Best Home Inspection Guide by Daniele L' Ami.  (After writing this blog Jim Morrison, Boston Globe corespondent  wrote a very good follow-up on How to Hire an Inspector in an article in this week's real estate section , April 10, 2019)

Wendy is a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Needham and also works on the Lower Cape.  If you would like to learn more about buying or selling a home please visit her at www.wendybcb.com.

My Personal Journey Through Bookland

When my friend, Kevin Walsh emailed me to share his latest project "Why I Read Non-Fiction" , a podcast interviewing guests about non-fiction books I was intrigued.  When he followed up to see if I would like to be a guest I was humbled.   I replied back to express interest,  Then he followed up with a phone call and after a brief conversation I was hooked.  After I said yes, he sent me a short questionnaire to prepare for the podcast.   Since this point my brain and ideas began flowing.  

How many of us have family photos of that special moment when you or your child are at either a family or memorable sporting event?  Sure these moments had a role in developing who we are today but let me ask another question, how many of us have taken photos of a child reading a book?  I know I have a few somewhere of our oldest son reading "Good Night Moon" as he started his love for reading at a young age and used to carry this with him everywhere. ( not sure I can find the photo or would post it here).  As we tend to take photos of our kids participation in extracurricular activities shouldn't reading be front and foremost in their development?

To prepare for the podcast, I began a journey through my relationship with books and the impact they have had on my life.  When I was a child,  my Dad always said a good book should be treated like your best friend.  He said to always respect and take utmost care of a book. Writing or bending a page would be equal to defacing a human body with a tattoo to my Dad.  I was shocked in college to see students writing in text books.  

As I began this journey in my head, I started to recollect the many books I read growing up.  Full disclosure, in my formative years I was less enthusiastic about non-fiction than I am today.  As a child of a history teacher (my Dad was as avid Jewish and American historian),  I lived in a home with 24/7 oral history lessons and was thus more drawn to fiction as my escape.  My memory is not as detailed as I hoped so I posted this quest on a Facebook group I am part of to see what non-fiction and fiction books were memorable to my high school classmates.  I also went through my book shelves to  revisit the books I had collected through the years.  

I grew up in a house of books,  When my parents passed away about 3-6 years ago,  my brother and I had the job of cleaning their estate in Florida.  My Dad had accumulated a vast collection of primarily non-fiction books totally over 10,000 spread throughout an 1800 sq ft condo.  Books were on shelves, stacked next to shelves, buried in boxes, under beds and furniture and literally in any empty spot.  

Due to space and costliness it would not be feasible to keep the entire collection that was housed in Florida or move it North where we both live.   I could not go through the process of an estate sale, however,  without doing the Marie Kondo approach to cleaning.  I had to literally go through and look at each book before either deciding to keep it, sell or donate it.  

Donate: We tried to donate as much as feasible but were turned down by many a museum or non-profit who either lacked space or funding to pay for shipping.   We donated a collection of books to the St. Petersburg Florida Holocaust Museum as we felt these would be shared and put to good use.     
Sell: There were many typical Barnes & Nobles type books that we sold to a local storefront for a fixed amount per book due to the size and volume.   Some coffee table and nicer books we sold as part of an actual estate sale.     
Keep: As I went through the books I put together my own collection that I would ship home, as did my brother and my son.  There were certain collections we agreed to keep in the family to pass on to future generations.  Then there were the random books of interest.  We ended up keeping at most about a tenth of the collection between the three of us.  

Many of the books I chose to keep were books that were cherished by my parents or would fill a void of the lessons my Dad shared orally while I was young and now yearn to learn more about as an adult. I ended up keeping many of the Jewish history books of periods I didn't recall paying attention to.  The same goes to many of his U.S. History collection.   It took me close to 18 months to go through the collection and I did box many to go through now at home. 

As I have begun to morph my own collection and reflect on their significance I would write and go on for hours.  I think the main revelation that has emerged in my mind is the wealth of knowledge and ideas that books provide us.  Each book I have kept has important relevance to my life.  I learn bits and pieces about human nature and key values in each one that I read that I believe reflect who I am as a person.  As an adult now,  many of the newer non-fiction books span the history of my lifetime.  Reading these allows me to learn what others experienced in contrast to my more limited perspective in a suburban middle class community.  

As stated before I read mostly fiction in my younger days.  At that point I was surrounded by a generation of relatives who tended to dwell more in the past and I was ready to progress towards newer ideas.  Perhaps reading non-fiction I felt would keep me less relevant in a rapidly changing world of the 60s and 70s.  I now know this was the wrong perspective.  

Each one of us has a story to tell.  I often volunteer at the local Council of Aging and want to converse when seniors share their history.   Sadly of late,  even at funerals I listen and learn so much about a person during the eulogy.  Reading non-fiction is a vital piece of the human puzzle.  I particularly enjoy reading memoirs and historic fiction these days and look forward to reading whenever I can.  To me reading is like taking a vacation in my head where I can be transported into new worlds and ideas beyond the day to day routines.  I will go into a bookstore or log on to my kindle app to buy a bookclub book, only to find myself discovering many other books I also end up buying.  The more I read the more I quest to learn more about human nature.  

I am thankful for Kevin's invitation and the opportunity to be allowed to go back through my memory bank of books.    For my podcast interview I have spent the last week reflecting on the many books I have read and compiled a list of new non-fiction books I want to read.  This process has been a wonderful exercise for me and I liken it to revisiting my favorite vacation spots and planning my next ones.  The list keeps growing and thus I am glad summer is approaching.   My favorite summer routine is to read on the beach at Cape Cod.  

I am excited to be part of the new pod-cast and to listen to other avid readers share their viewpoints on reading non-fiction.  I will update this blog with information on how you can also listen to the podcast when it is available.

Wendy is a Realtor with Coldwell Banker in Needham.  She loves to help and meet new people.  As mentioned above she is an avid reader.  She also loves the arts and travel.   She hopes you will listen to the podcast and visit her website to learn more about her services.    www.wendybcb.com

How to Best Prepare for End of Life Choices Part 2

In my prior blog of February 9 about best preparing for End of Life  choices, I wrote about fulfilling the last days of one's life.  I am now supplementing this with Part 2.  Once we are gone how do we wish to be remembered?  Where do we want our final resting place to be?  It has always been tradition to have a funeral and a burial along one's religion's customs but as trends change so does this.

My ancestors, and similarly as did many cultures, had burials in the local cemetery where they lived or on the property they owned.  Many immigrant communities who came to the US  acquired cemeteries with sections for their families.  Nowadays we are a much more mobile society.  My parents and grandparents are buried together in the Baker Street cemetery in West Roxbury, Massachusetts. This was where many other relatives who belonged to the same synagogues or local community would be interred.  

As I have traveled to other countries I have found it fascinating to visit old Jewish cemeteries   Often once thriving communities left behind memorials with remnants of their society only to be later abandoned as demographics change. I now see this happening where I grew up.  Many of the cemeteries where my parents generation buried their predecessors are now abandoned or less frequented by new departures as the communities migrate away.

When I pass chances are I may retire in another state or that my descendants (Three out of three of my offspring live out of state now) will settle far away.  Would it make sense for me to be buried near my parents or somewhere where my kids may only reside for a temporary portion of their lives?  

                

Saturday's  WSJ discussed the idea of free form funerals.  Perhaps the less traditional options may make more sense.  One option may be to be buried at sea.  Our society is much more mobile and in-flux these days.  Deep roots that expanded multi-generations are becoming a pase`.  This trend is illustrated in a recent novel I just finished by John Grisham, The Reckoning, where a family land right becomes disputed and (spoiler alert) eventually disseminated.  

A living will may be the best framework to formalize where and how you want to end your legacy.   Of course it is always recommended to consult a legal professional before signing any legal document.   As a realtor I can provide some guidance with real property decisions but leave the ultimate resting place choice to my clients and their families.  

Wendy is a realtor with Coldwell Banker Needham.  She has her SRES and often shares insight into the changing dynamics of the marketplace and needs of the more senior and baby boomer population.  She enjoys helping clients buy and sell property with as minimal emotional transitioning as possible.  For more information check her website at www.wendybcb.com.