Home inspections - not selling

[k3am]

Is it ever a “thing” to get an inspection on a home you don’t plan to sell? I’ve never heard of anyone doing it, but wondering if it may be worthwhile.

My mom has owned her house for about 50 years and DH thinks we should have a home inspection done to identify any problems.. and I’m sure there are problems.

[winecat]

Does she have riders on her home owner's insurance to cover things that might need to be repaired down the road? IDK if you can get those riders if you know that the system is failing/has failed.

I think you'd be better off getting specialists to look at specific systems you're concerned about. I haven't been impressed with the home inspectors I've worked with.

[spinnaker5]

Check the regulations in your state but in the two places I’ve bought and sold homes, after an inspection by a licensed inspector (whether done by a prospective buyer who then shares it with the seller, or by the sellers) the homeowners are legally required to disclose any deficiencies from that point forward. Even if your mom has no current plans to sell right now, if the inspection uncovers problems with the roof, foundation, stuff not up to code, etc., those are now “known issues” and she would either need to fix or disclose them whenever the property does get put up for sale in the future.

[sakura]

I agree with the others, I’d be a little cautious before doing it, but in my area inspectors do offer that service as a ‘pre-listing inspection’.

[dancingirl21]

I wouldn't do this. If you have specific concerns, get quotes from those specific contractors.

An inspector will find things - that's their job. If they find things and your mom then knows about them, when she goes to sell she needs to disclose that information. If the full home inspection happens at time of sale, she doesn't have to agree to fix everything; that's part of the negotiation.

[ktw]

I would not do it. We have bought 3 houses, and inspectors have missed things that were wrong on all of them. We sold a house early this year, and due to the volatility of the market, ended up with 3 different buyers doing 3 different inspections. No two inspectors found the same "problems" and the "major" things each of them focused on weren't problems at all, according to the experts we consulted in those areas after the inspections.

[Wallflower]

I can see the value in getting ahead of issues, especially when you're dealing with an older relative. I think you could accomplish the same thing if you have a good handyman and ask them to look over the house.

[k3am]

Unfortunately, we don't have a good handyman to turn to.

I don't live in the area. I can coordinate a few hours for a home inspection with one person. I could not coordinate finding and hiring multiple trades for multiple inspections.

I don't see any riders on her home insurance policy.

I don't understand the logic of not getting a home inspection because of concerns it would be disclosed if/when we decide to sell the home. Because if/when that time comes, we will be completing a home inspection prior to putting the house up for sale and likely listing the sale condition as is, with no repairs to be made. If we'd had a previous one done that issues arose in, those issues would either be listed as corrected (if we took care of them), or continue to be listed as issues, and sale condition would still be as is. Basically, whether we get an inspection now that carries through to when she sells, or wait and only get an inspection in connection with the sale, any deficiences are going to be noted and the buyer will be aware prior to completing the sale, so I wouldn't let that deter us from getting an inspection now.

I am not sure if we got an inspection that said that the AC is mounted on the roof and has an evaporation line that's not up to code, and we didn't fix it, and then later the roof collapsed, if that gives insurance grounds to reject a claim. But could they also reject the claim if we hadn't had an insppection, and the roof collapsed, and they determined it wasn't to code? Both of these scenarios may be entirely irrelevant. That's what I don't know.

[winecat]

k3am- If her homeowners insurance offers the riders/endorsements, they should be easy to add and not very $$. I'm not in the insurance industry but have learned enough the hard way about not being insured properly. I think I pay about $25/year per rider on my policy. www.policygenius.com/homeowners-insurance/homeowners-insurance-policy-endorsements/.

My concern about hiring an inspector is that they could give a false sense of security. I don't know if they all suck but the ones I've used have missed major issues.

[Roc A Bee]

I also wouldn’t do this. If the house has any issues, you will have to coordinate with someone to fix it anyway. I don’t see how this will save you time.

I also wouldn’t have it inspected when go to sell. That is the buyers job to coordinate.

[Wallflower]

k3am, yeah, having a good handyman is a gift and I'm sorry you don't have one.

As long as you're prepared that anything big would need to be disclosed in a sale, I think you could do this. And really, anything big and you'll probably want to address it, assuming your mom wants to stay in her home.

I will say that in my experience, the inspectors aren't always looking at the things *we* would look at for maintaining a home. For example, will they notice a bit of linoleum that's turned up and could be a hazard to an older person?

[darby]

I actually think it could be useful, given your intentions. As long as you keep in mind code requirements back then we’re either different or non-existent, and the inspector’s job is literally to point out everything, no matter how minor. My inspector is amazing, but will make even a missing screw seem as dire as foundation issues. If you don’t plan to sell anytime soon, especially if you plan to fix major issues, then you may not have to disclose when you do end up selling. (In my state the question about roof leak specifically asks if it’s leaked in the last 5 years, & some things are state specific.) I’m not saying you would intentionally try to hide something, but it sounds like you want to be honest & upfront anyway. In this market I have clients that do pre-listing inspections so buyers know ahead of time any possible issues & that the house is either being sold as is or some sellers use it as a way to get offers without an inspection contingency while also being transparent.

[k3am]

In my area, it is 100% normal for the seller to get an inspection prior to listing a house. Buyers don't even ask for them as a condition of the sale because they know it will make their offer unlikely to be accepted. An inspection as a buyer is just as a "nice to have/for piece of mind only." That's here, and not everywhere, understood.

In this circumstance, I'm kind of viewing it is... we are essentially buying the house. AKA, we're now in charge of maintaining a home that we have no idea about. My mom can't tell us anything about it. For instance.. she was adamant that she does NOT have solar. Well lady, the panels on the roof tell us differently.

I texted my real estate agent to ask his thoughts about it and am waiting for a call back. He's not going to be an expert in her market, but he's a good starting point as any, and I'm sure he can give us some things to think about/references as needed.

[RockNVoll]

Sept 14, 2021 12:29:33 GMT -5 k3am said:

My mom can't tell us anything about it. For instance.. she was adamant that she does NOT have solar. Well lady, the panels on the roof tell us differently.

LOL! Sounds like something my mom would do.

[ellipses84]

What do you plan to do with the inspection once you have it? They may find some deferred maintenance or let you know how old systems are / when they may need to be replaced but when it comes down to big ticket concerns I find specialists are much better for certain issues. Like I’d rather have a plumber, electrician and roofer come look at it. I personally wouldn’t pay for an inspection. If I did, I’d be really clear about my goals. For minor issues, you’d either need to DIY or find a handyman anyway.

Once when our house sale fell through after inspection, it was nice to be able to use the list and fix the issues (where if you wait to you are selling you may have to scramble to fix a lot of issues or pay $$$). You’d want to keep good records of all the fixes in case you need them when you do sell. Do you know any realtor friends in the area? They may be able to rec. a good inspection and handyman. A realtor may also be able to give some guidance on things to think about to get the house in better shape for an eventual sale. If you ever transfer ownership you could get a home warranty if you think systems will fail.

[k3am]

ellipses84, honestly, the goal is to find out what needs to be fixed, if anything. And if items are brought up, we may chose not to fix them.. We had plenty of stuff that came up in our home inspections for both houses we purchased. Some we fixed immediately. Some we fixed down the road. Some we didn't fix before we sold (old house) and some we haven't fixed yet (this one).

I think the goal is just to a general idea on things. Is there anything that NEEDS to be fixed now? Down the road? Etc. We honestly have no idea.

And sure, I agree, having individual contractors come out and look at everything would be the "best" or preferred way of going about it, but there is ABSOLUTELY NO possibility of me being able to coordinate that. My mom is not capable of having a conversation with any kind of contractor to find out what's wrong. I mean.. she's probably capable of having the conversation. But not remembering that she's supposed to have the conversation, who she talked to, what they talked about, or even if she talked to them. And if they give her a paper quote, the chances of us finding it are slim. And if by some chance one of them was a scam artist, I would not be surprised if she agreed to sign up for some kind of service or subscription that would make her finances even more of a flipping disaster than they already are.

[k3am]

Talked to our real estate agent.

He says.. get the inspection and make sure we’re there while it happens. A good inspector will be able to point anything to fix immediately vs. what can wait. Any results will be disclosed in a sale.

He said even if we don’t do one now, if we decide to sell down the road, we would want to get a pre-sale home inspection done. Typically any issues are noted by the seller in the disclosures, but in this case, the seller CAN’T list the deficiencies, so we would plan on listing it with a disclosure that the seller has dementia, disclosures are incomplete, and here is a home inspection.