This is a good list, but here in the humid Midwest, we keep a dehumidier running all summer in our basement, and we don't have what anyone would call a moisture problem. It's just really humid here, and running a dehumidifier helps keep the whole house more pleasant.

I would rather buy a house from someone who ran their humidifier frequently, than from someone who never used one.

Check with the neighbors. Ask them if they know anything about the house you're about to buy. One week after moving in, our new neighbor across the street said "so you know there's a family of raccoons that lives the space above your front porch during the winters." Um, no... we didn't know that. It was an area the inspector didn't see (and the owners didn't disclose this info to us). So sure enough, 6 months later we had raccoon mom, dad and a bunch of babies living with us.

Number 0: Hire a professional inspector. He will check EVERYTHING for you. Mine found a fault in the foundation, and the seller agree to pay it. $350 saved me about $28k.

After moving into our first home last month we quickly realized we didn't have a garbage disposal :( ...not something I thought to look for.

I'm pretty shocked that there are professional inspectors out there who don't perform the checks listed above!

There's a lot that we didn't realize to look for - like is there a drainage system in place so that rainwater has a place to go (preferably to the street) instead of pooling in the yard or around the house (eek!)?

And there's a lot that our house luckily had that we didn't realize how valuable it was until we were in - professionally installed blinds, sprinkler system, closet organization system, etc. We were definitely naive as we had no idea how expensive it would be to add such things to a house!

We had a great inspector who dealt with each of these issues... the previous owner agreed to fix all the things that the inspector found.. even cleaning the chimney...

Homeowners association/condo fees! If you're at the top end of your pricepoint, the extra $XXX in fees every month may put you over the top. I almost bought (what seemed to be) a pretty cheap condo until I realized the monthly ownership fees nearly doubled my monthly payment! Eep! Wow am I glad someone told me to ask about that!

Inspectors are great, but it's also good to see for yourself. And don't let the real estate agent try to talk you out of hiring an inspector. (I saw this on an episode of Moving Up and the girl basically had to rebuild her entire house!)

Yeah, these are all things our inspector has looked for with both houses we've purchased. He is a structural engineer, and saved us from purchasing two houses with serious (and latent) problems - we were all set to sign!

oh - and as emedarwash said - with the two we did end up purchasing, the sellers fixed several major things found by our inspector, and most recently he even made a case that they needed to upgrade the electrical system, and they agreed. HUGE savings.

Good tips, thank you - I'll have to use them next time!

I have a mildew under carpet story. When I saw the apartment, it had wall-to-wall carpet. We looked under the edges in a closet, but since the tenant was still living there it was full of furniture. It never occurred to my agent, the inspector or me to move the mattress on the living room floor where the tenant's guest was sleeping, but when I pulled up the carpet the day after settlement I found a whole patch of damaged moldy floor -- the result of a leaky radiator. I couldn't move in until it was replaced. It was a nasty few months & left me feeling pretty sour about humanity for a while. (The seller asked me at settlement, "How do you like the new carpet?" and since I was planning to rip it out immediately I was distracted by wanting to say something nice about the ghastly carpet, and never wondered why she would ask. Now I know.)

Don't be nice! I think thats something we learned.

If the inspector finds something really look into it.
Our house has an outdoor breaker box that looked terrible. The inspector pointed it out, but we were so excited about the house we just asked for 1k off the price. Turns out that replacing a breaker box costs over 3k. We now know to get estimates on anything that we are unsure about.

---when we had the estimate done the electrician asked if he could take a pic to show the guys at the office because it was the worst one he had ever seen :(.

In addition to the house inspector we brought in, we also called an independent sewer inspector. He snaked our drain with a camera all the way to the street, so we could physically see that the pipes were all in good shape. The sellers wouldn't pay for it, but it was $350 well spent.

Make sure the water shut off valves work. I had the seller change the ones in the apartment I bought because they were frozen. All you need when the toilet is overflowing is for the shutoff valve not to work.

And definitely make sure the person inspecting your place takes the electrical box apart. We didn't look under the top panel so we didn't know about the three fuses that had caught on fire at some point. You couldn't see the scorch marks if you just opened the door and looked at the top panel and the switches.

Oh man, I've learned a LOT of things the hard way on this topic! A good home inspector is important, but they are not experts in everything, nor do they check everything. In addition to termite inspectors, independent sewer and chimney inspectors are a very good idea, and I would also recommend hiring a waterproofing consultant to check the exterior envelope. Furthermore, if the house is on a hillside, I would hire a structural inspector as well. The hundreds of dollars these inspectors cost to hire is well worth it - the things that they are trained to look for could cost you thousands (and I say this less than a year after a $30K exterior renovation necessitated by improperly waterproofed roof parapets and windows).

Also, check to make sure that there are no open building permits for your property. In LA, this is a very quick and easy online search and can save you thousands (since you become responsible for those permits once the property is yours, even if you didn't pull them or own the property when they were pulled).

If you are testing your chimney by lighting a fire, you may be more adventurous than I..

Run the shower for a bit to check the water pressure. I just moved out of an apartment with awful water pressure (that's not the reason I moved, fyi). I took "drizzles" rather than actual showers for 3 years. Awful.

#1 is really important, but it should be titled "get camera sewer inspection" and not "check drains." Six months after moving into our house, we ended up shelling out nearly 15,000 dollars to replace our side sewer. Based on some evidence they found when they dug, our plumbers were pretty sure the previous owner was aware of issues but did not declare them.

This will be an inspection above and beyond what a ordinary home inspector will cover, but it will get you great ammo for negotiations. I live in a neighborhood in N. Seattle where all of the original sewer pipes have reached their point of failure...Sooner or later, they will all need to be replaced. I recommend sewer inspections to everybody I know who's buying in my neighborhood, and this advice has spared some people some grief. So I've saved others $$ even if I learned the lesson the hard way myself.

don't just check "with" the neighbors... check "on" the neighbors...

not in a creepy way, but you're going to be moving into a community, not just a house, and you might want to know that the neighbor next doors is a raving NASCAR fan with a 80in big screen TV in the garage... and on Sundays he likes to invite 27 of his friends over for a race-watching kegger with the door open.

in all seriousness, we love our home, but the adjacent house is a care facility for mentally and physically handicapped young-adults. there are vans pulling up to the house 4 times/day starting at 7:30AM *every* day and on occasion one of the residents goes into a screaming fit at 5AM. unfun.

granted this is something which i also think should have been disclosed by the sellers (let's not get into the real-estate law part of this as a lawsuit isn't out of the question), but had we known, we'd likely have offered a lot less for the house (like 10-15% less).

i can (and have) fixed *everything* in my house... i can't fix the neighbors.

great ideas!!!

Jiggle the toilet and make sure the bolts holding it to the floor aren't corroded. Not a huge cost to fix a wobbly toilet, but it's nice to know that kind of thing beforehand.

Also, during the walk-through, make sure none of the windows are cracked or missing. I had my place painted before I moved in and didn't know whether the painters or the previous owners had broken the windows.

One piece of advice I heard is to start and end you commute to work from your prospective new home. You want to know what lifestyle changes your new location will necessitate.
Also, I concur with the separate sewer inspection - saved me a ton of money, as did the pest inspection (powder post beetles had eaten away my foundation posts).

I learned two lessons the hard way (I own a condo):

If you're buying a condo, ask a neighbor to turn their TV up as loud as they can while you stand next door. The builder assured us that they'd soundproofed the places (it's brand new), but the people next door have a daughter that throws tantrums at all hours of the day and night AND they like to take advantage of the fact that our units came prewired for surround sound and blast their bass-heavy music...and our shared wall is my BEDROOM wall. I haven't had a good night sleep since I moved in 7 months ago, and will now have to pay $2K to blow out that wall and install soundproofing.

Second, and this is REALLY important: HIRE YOUR OWN INSPECTOR. DO NOT USE THE PERSON RECOMMENDED BY YOU REALTOR. The person recommended by your realtor is going to say that it's a nice place so that your realtor can make the sale and continue to push business their way. I have to replace my patio doors AND windows due to issues the inspector should've caught. Do research online and find a sound inspector on your own. At least I'll know these things next time :D

How can you possibly light a fire in a home before you buy it? I can't imagine this is something the agent would let you do....

How many home owners are going to be okay with you ripping up a corner of their fully-installed wall-to-wall carpeting? I understand the logic, but seriously, pull a corner of the carpet back? If you don't buy the place, that homeowner could very well charge you for ruining their carpeting.

As for the fires, perhaps you could suggest lighting a match, or a piece of paper in the fireplace instead of lighting a full-on fire. Again, what self-respecting homeowner (or realtor) is going to be okay with someone lighting a fire at the open house? Yes, check that the flue works, and that you get an updraft, but... fire?

Common courtesy still applies. You may want to buy the house, but you definitely do not own it already.

Regarding #8: If turning on the A/C, make sure the outside temperature has been consistently above 60 degrees for at least 48 hours before turning it on. Otherwise you run a pretty good chance of burning out the A/C motor almost immediately.

And I'd also like to chime in about using a home inspector. After taking a first time home buying class I'd never risk buying without one. A few hundred bucks is definitely worth it when you're about to drop a couple hundred grand.

I've had the fancy inspectors. But I'm on house number three, and I will NEVER buy without calling in the system pros. Find a good heating and cooling company, a plumber, a roofer and an electrician. Have them assess the place and give estimates for fixes. The inspector told me that the furnace worked, but he never noticed that the VENTS weren't attached correctly. He didn't tell me the main sewage line would need replacing in two years. Inspectors + pros = better picture of the house and definite ammo for price negotiation.

@bigtab...

instead of ripping out the wall, consider installing soundproof drywall /over/ the existing drywall... might save a lot of hassle.

try using QuietRock's line of boards... all have a really high noise-blocking rating. put a layer of QuietGlue between your old drywall and your new soundproof drywall and you'll be set. honestly, if the wall is already stuffed with insulation, i'm wondering what ripping it out and replacing with something else would solve.

we used QuietRocks 510 (the cheapest -- essentially two 1/4in sheets of drywall with a layer of QuietGlue in between in place of regular 1/2in drywall in our bedroom and the difference is staggering.

quietrock.com

The previous owners of our last house 'forgot' to tell us that the washing machine they left behind was leaking and had been for a while....cue one new kitchen floor and five days of running a dehumidifier. Bah.

@Bigtab
I absolutely agree. Find your own inspector. Period! I won a condo too, it was my first purchase of property and i had no idea what I was doing. Talk about learning the hard way. After I move in, I start having severe clogged pipes and back up problems, the plumber I hire tells me that my pipes are the old galvanized kind that are pretty much ready to expire! I don't have the money to replace them. So about every three to four months- I have to spend about $300 hundred dollars to have a plumber clear out this terrible corroded mess in my pipes. I also had to rebuild the toilet. Seriously- the accient plumbing was not caught my the inspector before sale. My realtor just had someone tell me that my place was in great condition so he could sell this place to me. Get your own inspector- someone who can check everything.

I just bought a home in June, and we did hire an inspector to look at the place. There were some things he did not find, and as a new homeowner I hadn't thought to look for them myself:

- The pipe leading away from the drain near the furnace was backed up with sediment. When 8 inches of rain fell in three hours here a few weeks ago, all of that water had nowhere to go but into my newly-finished basement.
- There was no cap on the chimney either, so anytime it rained, water came down and dampened the basement floor. I didn't even know what a chimney cap was until we had this problem! The previous owners HAD to have had water in the basement as often as we did, but clearly just put up with it and did nothing.
- More water problems: a wet bar was illegally installed into the rest of the pipe system by a previous owner. It later caused a clogging issue that required us to disassemble the whole flushing system.
- It was pointed out that some of the wiring was not up to code, but it was not acknowledged that many of the switches and outlets ran off of the same line. One wall of outlets in the upstairs office and all of the outlets in the basement, as well as the hallway light, were all hooked up to the same circuit. Who in their right mind thought it made any sense to do that?

Overall, I'm still very happy with my home purchase. Even though I'm new to this, it's very clear that the people who owned before us had no idea what they were doing and never bothered to learn. It's like they sat back and waited for a landlord to come and fix their problems (and whomever they hired to do plumbing and electrical work was a hack).

The roof is key and you have to make sure that your home inspector looks in every attic crawl space. My inspector did not because they were screwed on and painted shut--this was a mistake.

I had a home inspection when buying - he did most of the things in the list. And he took me through and explained what to look for and where my house stacked up...
However - there were some kinda major things that he couldn't see that all went within two weeks of my moving into the house (electrical line, roof leak). So it can still be kind of a crap shoot. :)

Also - I didn't realize until I moved in that there was no receptacle in the bathroom! (Apparently a common occurrance in row homes like mine.) So check where the plugs are and what switches they're wired to (my guest room is controlled by the switch in my master).

@ BigTab and homebody - sounds like your real estate agents were total duds. (no offense) Not all of them are out for themselves. A good realtor/agent will recommend only quality resources to make sure that you are completely happy with your purchase/experience. Because if you're happy with your purchase/experience, you'll refer them to others. :)

Thanks SOOOOOO much redneckmodern! I will try that!

Yes, the urban girl, we did get duds. But we'll know better next time, and I never complain when I'm learning a valuable life lesson.
It should be noted that despite all of our problems, no one on this thread regrets their purchase, and that's always good news.

The outside temperature was 40 degrees the day we inspected our "completely renovated" condo. We couldn't turn on the AC to test it and didn't think to check the wiring. You can imagine our surprise come May when we discovered that our brand new AC unit had not been completely finished being wired and wasn't even connected to the thermostat.

We hired someone from http://www.ashi.org/

The American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), founded in 1976, is North America's oldest and most respected professional society of home inspectors.
He used to be a master builder so that impressed me. He found a leak in our shower which had to be replaced saving us $300.00 & a world of house repair. He also advised us on some outside drainage issues which we never would have known. He was well worth his $300.00 fee.
We also had our furnace checked by a reputable HVAC place per his warning.

Check the hot water and the shower pressure.

Our lender recommended we speak to our Insurance company and ask them to run a CLUE report. Like Carfax but for houses.

http://www.realtor.org/archives/slscoach20050627

Make sure the electrical outlets in the house are grounded. We bought an older home and the inspection revealed that the outlets had been "updated" to three-prong but they never actually ran a ground wire. That's a big problem if you have lots of computers and electronics that you would like to not be destroyed by a power surge. We finally got the seller to fix it, but it was a huge headache. I don't think we would have bothered with the house had we realized before the inspection that the electrical was so outdated. A $5 tester from Home Depot will tell you whether or not the outlets are open ground and you can be aware of that issue even before you hire an inspector.

SRT, I suspect you've never purchased a home before. This post would have been more useful if it were a list of practical things unrelated to an inspectors job like talking with the neighbors as someone suggested and finding an independent inspector. Any layperson who buys a home w/o a thorough home inspection by an licensed and reputable inspector deserves any problems that follow and could have been caught by a home inspection.

"Any layperson who buys a home w/o a thorough home inspection by an licensed and reputable inspector deserves any problems that follow and could have been caught by a home inspection."

That seems a little harsh! It sounds like many people here got a "reputable" home inspection but got stuck with problems that either the inspector missed or were not part of the inspection. If you are new to the process, you most likely would not know what to look for and ask about - so this type of post could be very helpful!

I second the reccomendation to find a home inspector through http://www.ashi.org/. We found the one that we hired through that site and both our Realtor and our Mortgage Banker were so impressed by his report that they have each personally used him and have been referring clients to him left and right. He was awesome.

I do wish that we had gotten an estimate on the roof from a specialist before buying. Our Inspector told us that it was nearing the end of its life and insisted that we have the seller at least do a patch-job before closing. We would have bought the house regardless, but it would have been nice to know what it was going to cost down the line to help us prepare.

I agree with most of the others that a good home inspector will catch most of these things. That being said _never_ use an inspector recommended by your Realtor(tm). The agents involved are motivated to get the deal closed. Inspectors are compromised in keeping the agents that feed them biz happy.

Other things:

Look on Google maps arial view to see things that may be far enough away that the owner does not have to disclose, but you may not realize are very close by. Things like a heavy industrial area, landfill, or even a small airport.

Research the schools, even if you don't have/plan to have kids. Schools radically affect resale value.

If the neighborhood has a listserv/e-mail list/bbs join it as soon as you start to look at the neighborhood. Pretty quickly you may find these are not folks you want to be your neighbors.

Avoid new neighborhoods of starter homes. Frequently the first round of homeowners will move on in a few years and be replaced with investors renting out the properties. The neighborhood will shift dramatically and resale values may crumble.

Others have mentioned watch the HOA dues. Watch the HOA period. Restrictive covenants can be the greatest or the worst thing depending how they are enforced. State law differers widely when it comes to how much power HOA's have. Read up on what your state allows and does not.

Best advice above all. Slow down, take your time and enjoy the experience.

I agree with everyone - an inspector is key, but it's also wise to bring in the experts, and many will give you an estimate for repairs for free. A basement excavator saved us from buying a house that needed three new basement walls, which would have cost more than $30k. One other thing to think about are the trees on your property. I love the towering trees surrounding our house, but I wish I'd known that they were almost all totally neglected and would require $2-3,000 of work by an arborist. This may be apparent when you're looking at a house in the summer, but an experienced arborist can tell you what's what in the middle of winter.

It's utterly ridiculous to say that you have to replace windows just because they've been painted shut! Original wood windows can last for hundreds of years if properly cared for. Why spend $$$ on hideous vinyl replacements that will fail within 20 years?

If you've got old windows, check out the book Working Windows at Amazon. I'm working on mine, and it's waaaaaaay cheaper than replacements.

If you follow the book's directions on weatherproofing, the old windows will be just as weathertight, too.

Everyone keeps harping on the "inspector" factor. Let me just say that we had an inspector and he didn't find everything AND they hold NO LIABILITY. NONE. Sure they can make you aware of more things that would have been missed, BUT they are not the saving grace when it comes to buying a home. Inspectors dont snake drains to the city hookup to make sure there is no blockage, they do not open up walls, cannot tell if all of the electrical is old or new behind walls or in ceilings, they are human and unfortunately miss a lot of things. They hold no liability if they miss something or underestimate damage.

All I am saying is that when an inspector walks in the door don't expect a choir of angles to start singing.

Definitely hire an inspector, but don't stop there. You have to do some checking yourself. We wondering why, on our final walk-through of the last house we bought, the house was empty except two things. A wreath hung over a hole in a door, a wall-hanging hung over a water spot on the basement wall. Both things that would have cost them money had we seen them before, and they knew it. Friends had to gut their bathroom when they moved in and found that under the bath mat was a huge hole in the floor. So, my advice, look under and behind anything you can move. Don't tear things ups, but if you are going to invest money in something, you have the right to know what you are getting. One house we bought had major drain problems under the washer and dryer that thankfully an inspector caught. $2500 they had to pay instead of us. I too second getting a plumbing inspection, termite inspection and roof inspection separately.

Gellergeorge is SPAMing for his company again...

This article was fabulous but what was invaluable was the amazing tips in the comments. A big thank you in advance - our final inspection is this Wednesday
and as you can tell I'm a bit terrified, so all the above will be helpful!

ps, hole beneath a bathroom mat??? AC that wasn't wired??? Why do people do this??

These are great tips for someone who is getting ready to buy a home.

I agree with other posters that it is very important to have a good home inspector to check out the house thoroughly before you buy it. Depending on where you live (i.e. Florida, Texas) you might want to make sure they are also structural engineers and can check for foundation and framing issues.

Additionally, it never hurts to have a master electrician or plumber give the house the once over after the inspector. We've walked away from a couple of homes based on the reports of either these experts. Other experts you might want to consider contacting are for the sewer line (i.e. Roto-Rooter, they can send a camera down you sewer line and make you a video) and any oil tanks on the property to check for leaks (i.e. Removal specialist with a license).

Even with all these precautions, you can still get surprised by things. Buying a home is not without an element of risk, from anything from the inspector showing up with the most incredible hangover ever and doesn't do his best for you to the soon-to-be ex-wife deciding to vent her anger on the kitchen appliances before the final walk through making closing a real exciting event.

Once you've bought that lovely home, make sure you change the locks and the alarm system code.

First off, let me state that while this is a good list, I'm pretty sure a lot of sellers would freak out and could sue you for damage to their house if you start doing things like opening the electrical box and tearing up carpet; you haven't bought the house yet, don't jump the gun. Try asking the owner what's under the carpets without damaging their home.

Secondly, I know for a fact that many states don't require licensing (including mine) so beware: if you live in a state that doesn't require any sort of testing, they don't hold any liability and if they claim to be "licensed" you could be paying a hairdresser to inspect your home. As for not going with the inspector that the real estate agent suggested, that all comes down to how long the agent's been in the field and how well you know and trust them. Make sure your agent isn't unnecessarily pushy; that's a sign that they're just in it for the money.

Third, make sure you know exactly what is included in the purchase of your house. When we looked at our's, there was a new stove-top, nice patio furniture and a few other items in an otherwise empty house (it hadn't been lived in for almost a year). Originally, the owner said everything came with but by the time we went for our final walk through, the stove-top was switched out (we didn't notice until later) and all the furniture was gone [including the patio set that had been stained to match the deck )-: ]. We were, however, left a few items of garbage stashed away in the garage (empty paint cans, broken furniture, etc). That being said, on the final walk through, go through the attic, garage, and basement (if applicable) to make sure unwanted large bulky items weren't left behind; those can be a hassle to dispose of.

Fourth, try to contact the owner and ask them as many questions as possible. Find out if there's a sprinkler system already installed [If you buy the house in the summer and don't find out for a year, you run the chance of the entire system blowing out because it wasn't winterized - lessons learned the hard way]. Ask them what sort of improvements they wish they'd made. Ask if they've made any energy efficient upgrades; if they had insulation blown into the walls and attic, you're more likely to see a lower utility bill. See if they're willing to go on a walk through of the house with you (after you buy it) to learn the tricks of the house [For instance, which rooms get warmer/cooler than others and if you have to jiggle the toilet handle to get it to work correctly]; most owners are willing to help you out if it means you're more likely to buy the house.

Find out how old the "big" repairs are; I'm talking about the roof, water heater, furnace, A/C, etc. If you've got a roof that's 20-25 years old, be prepared to have to replace it soon and factor in setting aside money for it as part of your monthly payments. Same goes for appliances; watch out if your house comes with old, energy hog appliances. That means your utilities may increase significantly; ask some friends or neighbors what their bills are like (without being too nosy) to get a really good feel for them.

Finally, when you're figuring out how much money you can "afford" to pay for a house, don't forget some unexpected costs. As was previously mentioned, homeowner's association costs can add an unexpected burden but so can taxes and other bills you weren't paying for when living in a condo or apartment. Don't forget to have some money set aside to buy things you might not have needed before: rakes, lawnmowers, gardening supplies, garbage cans, appliances, more furniture, etc. Those can add up really quickly.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Ask your agent, the seller, friends, neighbors, and family members; anyone you can to really know what you're getting yourself into. Houses are a big commitment; make sure you can afford them, both in money and time.

Great advice, I think it is a good thing to do all of these things, after all, you are going to be the one who pays thousands of dollars when things go wrong. I would also advice to run all the taps in the house to check water pressure and that they work, look behind shower curtains and screens to check for mould and the general condition of the walls, and also check the electrical cupboard/meters to assess the age and condition. This would also help to ascertain if there is likely to be any wiring that needs to be done in the future. Also check the water tanks and check where you switch off the water in the case of emergencies.

Sonb interior design Surrey

I've learned a few lessons the hard way- one is to have the house professionally cleaned before you sign anything at closing. We did a walk-through on our first home and the owners were in the process of packing and cleaning the day before closing. Then when we came back with the keys we found that they had dropped everything and left it just as it was when we walked out the day before- a total mess. They had even bathed their giant dogs in the garden tub in the master bathroom, and left it caked in hair. Another home we rented was vacant and appeared spotless and well-kept....but 2 days after we moved in we were all covered in flea bites. Oh I never ever want to move again.

I'll DEFINITELY be checking the size of the water heater on the next go around. We were excited to have a shower with dual shower heads and a large soaking tub in our master bath. The first time we used the shower, we realized the water heater was only big enough to give us about a 5 minute shower with both shower heads going and the tub doesn't even fill half way before we run out of hot water. Now we're left with the cost of upgrading to a bigger water heater.

Also, although these are cosmetic and can be relatively inexpensive to fix, I'll be looking at ALL of the fixtures next time. When we were excited to buy our first house, we didn't even notice all of the builders grade lights, knobs, faucets, etc. and now they all DRIVE me crazy!

we were going to buy the house we are renting but after having family that is experienced in looking for problems with homes we have changed our minds. The home we are renting has so many problems with it, it would be a complete money pit for us. We have a flat roof and the rain or snow sets and freezes causing our roof to add aditional pressure to the structure of the house now we have cracks in our walls and our ceilings. So if we were to buy the house it would need a new pitched roof which in its self would cost 15K to 20K. The sheet rock would have to be replaced and this house also has horrible windows that leak air like crazy and the master bathroom shower the tiles are falling apart and the sink in the master bath leaks really bad and this house has some rather old wall heaters and one hole in the ceiling in the hall way for the air coditioner. The heaters and the ac have to be able to heat a 5 bedroom house. And the pipes for this house are copper and laid under the foundation. The landlord just replaced our sewage line a few months ago and they fought with us for a bit trying to get out of it the cheapest way possible. oh and there is a large hole under the kitchen sink in the wall. If this house isnt a wreck then i dont know what is. im glad my sister the engineer and our cousin the housing maintance man checked out our house prior to signing the papers. As far as a place to rent this place is good enough for us a family of six. 5 bedroom house with 2 baths and a huge yard in good neighborhood only payin 6?? a month. weve lived here 5 years already. someday though we would like to buy a house with less problems.

As a real estate agent, a few common things I mention for buyers to check ( besides getting a home inspection and/or seperate stucco inspection, structural inspection; depending on warning signs...be smart, if it looks old, moldy or strange...call a professional...better safe than sorry) 1) be sure your suv/truck will fit in garage (a lot of older homes have slightly smaller garages) 2) be sure a washer and dryer will fit properly in laundry room or where ever your hookups are located (3 ask neighbors what they know about the house 4) check with homeowners association on fees/assessments or new or upcoming zoning/construction projects nearby 5) confirm school district the house is in (if your kids go to public school)

#11. Check how close the trees are to your home, it will save you from having them cave in your foundation and break through your plumbing. Neither are cheap to fix not covered under insurance.:(

DO NOT have blind faith in your property inspector!!!! No matter how highly recommended they come. Always check things out for yourself and/or have someone that you know and trust give things a once over. That "small leak" under the kitchen...a silver dollar sized hole in the kitchen drain which had been draining into the crawlspace for decades. That "minimal settling" was where a prior owner had cut clean through the floor joists to run a drain pipe rather than buying a few extra pvc fittings. Often, you basically sign away any rights to hold the inspector accountable for not mentioning something.

This Isn't so much about the house itself, but home-buying in general: work with people you can trust. If your realtor/inspector/contractor/anyone else giving you information that will hep you decide whether or not to buy a house seems like they are anything less than super-knowledgeable, or they don't seem like they have your best interest at heart: find someone else. It's always good to educate yourself as much as possible, but if you don't do this for a living there's only so much you can learning the couple-month home buying process. Having people who you trust can make a huge difference, and will help you learn as much as you can as efficiently as possible. It saved us from buying a house at the top of our price range that, when it came down to it, was only worth maybe half what the lowest the sellers would accept.

I was already overwhelmed by buying a home (we're looking) and this post has terrified me! Makes me want to build a new home with a builders warranty 0_o

I'm just renting and this may and this may not be a huge cost to fix but I'm not an electriction and do not have the money to hire one in a rental (our landlord won't fix it)....
CHECK YOUR OUTLETS...Seriously. My last apartment didn't have outlets in the bathroom, I didn't think to check this because it was updated, beautiful, and modern. Not having outlets in the bathroom may not seem like a big deal until you have to blow dry your hair in the living room every morning or hey, hows about them electronic toothbrushes? Those were a nice touch to our bedroom.
When we moved into our new rented townhome I made sure there were outlets in the bathroom, but next time I move, I'm just going to take a blow dryer with me when I go to check the place out. Although there were outlets in both bathrooms, niether work and ALL of the outlets around the house are super loose. If I plug my charger in, it just falls out of the outlet. My neighbor reccomended I just pinch my plugs before I plug them in...

I'm glad some of the others have already mentioned this -- this is what a professional home inspector SHOULD be checking. It's a really good list to use when interviewing a home inspector. "Do you check ..." instead of only asking "How much do you charge?" And it is always a good idea to look over the property for things that concern you so you can ask a professional (realtor, home inspector, engineer, etc.)!

If you have a long closing date, do another walkthrough or inspection the day before you close. Our sellers completely trashed the house and the gardens, broke windows and doors and stole fixtures and we didn't see it until after we closed. I also blame the lawyer and realtor who all said, oh we have our money, you're closed... Too bad.

Nobody mentioned that you should never trust your bank to figure up your budget, they don't account for tithes, or other expenses that come with buying a house. My parents didn't know that and they are still paying off debts from way back when.

I'm a Realtor's assistant and I see both sides of home inspections - the really good, and the gone-horribly-wrong. Of course there are going to be horror stories about the items home inspectors missed, but I want to share the good about home inspectors too. Specifically, I want to respond to BIGTAB's post above where they recommended you NOT use the inspector that your Realtor recommends. The Realtor I work for is married to a very well known home inspector in our area. He is without a doubt the most honest, trustworthy, and THOROUGH man on earth (and retired Navy to boot!) Seriously, I would trust this man to deliver my babies haha. He goes through each house with a fine toothed comb and catches every tiny little issue - and if he DOES miss something and the Buyers find it months later, he has no problem going to the house and fixing it for free.

Bottom line is that not all Realtors are out to just make a sale, and not all home inspectors are turning a blind eye to problems.

When I have purchased a home in the past, I always made sure to be present at the inspection. Your agent can stand in for you...but I think it is critical to be there yourself to see what the inspector sees - and possibly what he/she doesn't....

Someone else said it, but I stress, always talk to the future neighbors! Amazing what they will share! Shortly after moving into our home we discovered that it had been a rental for many years and had major roast infestation!!! :-( There was no sign of this during any of the visits, inspections, etc. However, sure enough, there was enough evidence to support such claims and some stragglers. We had the house sprayed for the first several years. Totally grossed me out. I was very upset for finding out what we bought into. :-( Don't be shy when you're buying...ask questions and talk to people!

Good tips! I took it all one step further. Been renting a house since last November. There's a reason why: a) it's been on the market for so long, and b) the price keeps being reduced. The carpet is stated as having been replaced. (Yes, without padding.) It has a fireplace. (Has not been maintained in a while. Our first test of the fireplace resulted in smoke buildup inside the house.) Two car garage door. (Light does not work in garage. Door only opens when it feels like it. No remote.) Two bathrooms. (One toilet had apparently been leaking long before I had it fixed. Floor is damaged and needs to be replaced. Other bathroom leaked into my bedroom 6 months later.) Have been filling holes in walls throughout house because the previous children who lived here apparently had a ball. There's a piece of the roof missing so our attic has been the home of bats (I'm told 2 yrs ago) and now squirrels. AC unit is leaking into the ceiling over my master closet. I've also inherited a family of black widows, german cockroaches, and now brown recluse spiders (all outside, thankfully). Keeping the exterminator very busy. Would you learn these things from an inspector? Not necessarily. I understand not everyone has this opportunity to do what I've done, but I am glad now that I know what I may/may not be getting into.

Having just sold a house, I'm honestly shocked at 75% of this list, since the inspector covered all of that in our sale. Are there really places where people don't do inspections? The electrical panel is a giant red flag--that should be permitted, and should have the sticker to prove it.

Great advice! I know this has been mentioned already in the comments but don't go with an inspector that works with the real estate company. My brother almost bought a house because the home inspector said it was great. However, a family friend looked it over and saw that the structure was bad and there was mold.
I agree with talking to the neighbors. We found out on one house that we were looking at that there was a family of raccoons in the attic and bats that would get into the basement. Also, our home inspector opened up the floor vents and saw mouse droppings (it was a foreclosure). Good luck!

I just bought my hose the begining of april.
a few things that i wish i would have checked and didn't
~Just take a look at the run off for the rain off of the road
I didnt even think to do this and now if it rains i pretty much have a river going down the drive way to a "lake" in front of my shead. And i really dont know how to fix it. After we moved in, the first heavy rain fall was bad and i kept saying to myself i wish i would have never bought this house.
~Along with checking the run off from the road check the basement!!! that same heavy rain fall pretty much put a swimming pool in my basement. I did check the basement although it was very cluttered when i came to look at it i figured that meant it was dry... i also had a inspector check it too and it looked dry it even has two sump pumps in it and the were completley dry and the lady said it was dry too. but i really wasnt. along with the river going down my driveway the lake at the end of it and the swimming pool in my basement 2 weeks after i moved it i wanted to get rid of the house in the worst way!
~Also check for unwanted pet. I dont know how the lady i bought the house from didnt realized it or maybe she did and didnt tell me. there was a half inch gap between the house and the chimney and we had a colony of bats. they didnt do any damage to the house or the chimney or the house it was just annoying.

Absolutely an inspector. An ASHI certified one. Call them, speak to them, it's good to get one with some kind of construction background. Look at a sample of their reports--they usually have them on their web site. Look for pictures that explain what the problem is. A good report is easy to spot. If you get an inspector who just issues a check a box report pass. That's not an inspector, that's a realtor's buddy who will pass the house to clinch the deal. My carmudgeon inspector looked at THREE houses I was going to buy. He found a wet basement (hidden by insulation piled up against a wall) a wet basement with outside grading problems that couldn't be fixed without significant cost that the seller was not willing to do. Warning-wet basements can cause a musty odor thru-out your house over time. THe NEXT house he found a Missing chimney cap, a missing chimney liner, several minor issues (corroded sewer cap), broken sashes on window, gutter clean -out (the chimney issues alone would cost $20,000 or more to fix). PASS. Now on the 3rd house, we'll see what he finds. **by the way, my realtor was not happy that i was selecting my own inspector*** ...hmmmm... My advise, find someone you like, meet with them, tell them anything you might be concerned about...even slightly --- Is the hvac new? Is the plumbing new? etc. It will save you thousands in the long run. (BTW, each inspection he charges me less and still does a fantastic job). AND he explains that he may not find everything...some things they just don't find. He does advise to get in an expert if he see's something wrong. For example, the first house did not have an upgraded electrical system that would support all the appliances in the house....he pointed that out in the report and advised to get an electrician in to look at it for cost/repair etc. Really, $300 to $400 bucks is pennies compared to the cost of your home.

Very helpful points. I have a situation where we learned a very hard lesson and would like to share more for others so that you will never go through what we did. I think every home owner gets excited to find that perfect place to raise a family in. For sure you want to make sure it's safe and that it gets inspected so that come on ( we're not screwed in the end). This one is for all of you parents and young couples who will one day be parents!!! My husband and I learned a valuable lesson that changed us forever!

When buying a house for sure this is all important items to make sure of but most important items we found out were something as simple as knowing who your neighbor was. Find out about your neighborhood! Talk to your neighbors.

Did you know about the national predators list? Who is living in your neighborhood? We found out the hard way and it cost us our children being molested. No realtor or expert will ever tell you about these either. So you can't put a price tag on this small detail that can save you a lifetime of heart ache. I wish that realtors would start including it in there flyers for parents.

Have your home inspected for radon.....we are purchasing a home that's only 7 years old, and it tested high in levels of radon....a harmful gas that causes lung cancer. It's not a common inspection, and cost approx. $150....well worth it. A mitigation system can be an easy solution. The system is approx. $850-1000...

One trick, if you don't want or can't check under the carpet in the closet, is if the air vents are floor remove the vent cover. The carpet is almost always not tacked down at the point and you can see if there is wood/mold/etc without destroying the existing floor.

Also, having just closed on my house today, I can't recommend enough using a buyer's agent over a Realtor. I initially started with a Realtor and it was a two month disaster!! However, the buyer's agent only works for you so they have more of an incentive to find a house that is what you you want and you don't have to worry about them pushing houses that they are trying to sell and/or receive a bonus on!

@Nicky1: I'm so sorry to hear about your experience--I can't imagine how that must feel for everyone in your family, and it makes everyone else's experiences with moldy floors and bad electrical wiring pale in comparison...

...That said, I would caution people to approach those predator lists with caution. Depending on the laws of your area, someone can be listed as a predator for having committed what is sometimes called a "Romeo and Juliet" crime--two teenagers have a consensual relationship, but one is age 19 and the other is 16, so their relationship falls within the definition of statutory rape (depending on the local laws.) This is not to say that we shouldn't be vigilant about keeping our children safe from harmful predators, only that we should know that those predator watch lists are flawed and often subject to the vagaries of local politics as much as the legitimate desire to protect children.

I'm on my third ( and last) house and will spare you the horror story of what our inspector DIDN'T FIND. We had used him for inspections on our first two houses and everything was fine. Don't know what happened on this one, but he missed obvious (in retrospect) signs of a water FILLED basement - 4 feet of water at one time in the past.

When you hire an inspector, read the contract carefully - we got our inspection fees PLUS MORE back because of his negligence. Enough to take care of most of the problems he missed.

Buying a house at any time is a gamble - even with inspections. Caveat Emptor.

We just purchased our first house and we were so excited we looked at it at least 5 times before buying. We hired an inspector who was a good friend. He gave us a good discount and spent about an hour in the house. Right after we moved in, we found out that there was a mouse infestation. We found mouse droppings under the kitchen sink and many other places in the kitchen. Then we noticed them in the carpet upstairs and in our garage. Thankfully, we have now gotten rid of them but it was terrifying. So I would say to check very thoroughly under all sinks, in the laundry room, and other sneaky places that you could see mouse droppings. Also, we realized that most of the very nice wooden blinds didn't work. We only checked a few in the house and assumed all of the others worked. Not the case. If we had known, we would have had the sellers pay for replacements. Next time we buy a house we will hire an extremely thorough inspector, it's well worth the money. We would have also had the sellers repaint the interior of the house if we had taken the time to notice how bad the walls were scuffed up. Now I at least knew which colors are on the walls.

Good comments on here. I would add that people who are buying condos or other shared spaces should be just as diligent about these things! Not just your unit but the common areas, too, which might not be covered in an inspection for your place. My sister bought a condo and a month after moving in found out that the association was accepting bids to fix the leaky roof. Estimated cost was $100,000!! Find out what the association rules are and the financial reserves are. For goodness' sake get into the place at different times of day to get some idea of the noise level from neighbors. That goes for any place.
The age of the furnace, the water heater, and the roof are all important, too! They are very expensive to replace.

Like many people here said check out the neighbors too. If you're only looking at a house an hour or two at a time you wouldn't know the noise level at night or weekends.

Best way to find a good inspector: find people who've recently sold a home and ask what they thought of the inspector that inspected their house. I was referred to my inspector by a coworker whose husband had gotten ticked off by the inspector because he was SO thorough when they were selling her late mother-in-law's house.

There were several things we, as 1st time homebuyers) didn't think to look for that might save other people money and/or aggravation: 1st, stand at the sink, refrigerator, and stove, and move between them. If your spouse is there and will be in the kitchen with you, get them to join you. Also, stand at the sink and open the dishwasher. Our kitchen is too small for two people to work in easily, but the distances between all the work spots are a little long for one person. Awkward. The bigger issue is our dishwasher opens in front of our sink, making loading it while doing dishes. Very awkward and aggravates me several times a day.

Also, we didn't notice that the brand new house didn't have towel racks or toilet paper hangers. Since we wanted ones that matched the style and finish of the fixtures, we'd spent about $200 by the time we were done outfitting two bathrooms. (That stuff is NOT cheap.)

And when you're looking at a newly built house, think about what will be needed in the way of landscaping. All the houses in our neighborhood had grass and mulched flower beds, but our yard didn't have a single tree. Small trees aren't terribly expensive, but they can be a LOT of work to plant. Plus, they need regular watering, which can get expensive.

Two other things to check:
1.The local Sex offender registry- usually will tell you if one lives nearby.
2. Google Earth-if the neighbors all have privacy fences, you can tell if they are running a junkyard or have 50 chickens or 10 dogs inside it.

If you are concerned about the cost of your utilities, try called the different companies. Tell them you are looking at purchasing a home and were wondering what the average bills are at that location. We've done this several times in the past. Sometimes they will tell you, sometimes their privacy policies won't allow them to give you that information. It only takes a phone call and you might end up saving yourself a big surprise when the bills come rolling in.

All of the advice is great but I would add to make sure you know how long the property has been on the market. If it took longer than 6 months to sell it may be best to move on. Unfortunately we bought a house that was on the market for 3 years and we did not realize this. When we listed due to moving out of state it took 4 years to sell. There was nothing wrong with the house and was listed under the appraised price, but no one likes the downwards hill to the house and the fact it was also a dead end.

i've read somewhere you should go to the local police dept and find out if the address has a history with them; as in how many times they've been called there because of violence or a person's sudden death.

Whenever i move into a new place, i always want to know who, if anyone, has died in the house and how it happened. Talking with the neighbors is good too because they will tell you how many divorces, deaths, incidence of violence, fires, floods, etc have happened there. Some houses are in a negative vibrational spot and will trigger negative energy on the occupants of the house. In other words, there are happy houses and sad houses. Which 'vibe' do you get when alone in the house?

also, check to see if there's a train track nearby that will have noise running thru at all hours and that you will have to sit and wait for every time you go to town, or come home.

keep eye on the weather and when rain is predicted, try to do a walk-thru through the house, you'd be surprised at some of the nasty little surprises you'll find when it's downpouring.

look to see if there are any ventilation vents in the bathroom and kitchen, and ceiling fans.
What about storm windows? How far are the bedroom windows from the ground in case of emergency, any prickly bushes underneath them?

Are there smoke / carbon monoxide alarms? Are they battery powered or electrical?

Are the steps and hand railings in safe condition?
Are there any outdoor lights (in working order), what about motion-sensor lights?
Are there any grab bars in the bathroom?
Is there any grout missing in the tile around the bathtub surround, for water damage to accumulate?
Is there a wheelchair ramp? Are the doors wide enough to accomodate wheelchairs? You may not be needing a wheelchair yourself, just yet, but later on down the road, you more than likely may and there's always visitors in wheelchairs.

what about parking for all family members, and a lot of guests on special occasions?

What about smells? Are there any strange or gross smells? Where are they coming from?

What about pet/animal restrictions? Most cities only allow 2 dogs per household. Where will Fido do his business? Are there dogs living close by to drive you crazy with barking and getting loose in your yard or that can kill your cat or attack your small children?

How busy is the street traffic? Is there a dangerous curve or intersection close by? How difficult will it be to drive or back out of your driveway? Any bushes, trees or vegetation blocking your view as you are backing out?

Find out if there are any nightclubs or other large entertainment venues close by that will drive you crazy with all their noise.

Can your cell phone get service there? Is it in a 'dead-zone'? Internet / satellite tv?

also, ask neighbors how many snakes and what kind, they've seen in the area.
(you can be sure if there are mice or rats, then there ARE snakes close by)
What about mosquitos and gnats?

I went through all the comments, and agree here what I read many times, with a twist. Don't bother with a home inspector. Hire an electrician, a plumber, a carpenter, and a roofer (the carpenter may do for roof inspection, however). This will cost somewhat more than an inspector, but each is a specialist, knowing more than the majority of inspectors. I write this as one who has real estate professionals in my family, and as one who has been burned by inspectors. How did a licensed inspector miss asbestos in the basement, termite and rot destroyed back porch, termite damage elsewhere, and incorrect material used for my plumbing, so that the city would not turn on my water until I changed out ALL the plumbing. This list is from two different houses, one bought with my mom helping me.

As far as termite inspections go, do not hire the company currently under contract on the house. Use a different company. It may help. Two different friends were burned by companies. Both sued; one company had to completely restore one friend's historic house (almost three times what the house had cost him). Unfortunately, his case was the one that caused termite companies to severely limit their responsibility. The other friends, a later case, had no idea of the extensive damage. They kept the same company unwittingly. A different man performed the monthly spray (years ago) from the one who had inspected the house, and they ask their regular guy to bring a copy of their inspection letter. The next time he came he handed a copy over. Their original was a page and a half. The copy was three pages with a map showing all the damage. They recovered the cost of the inspection; the damage? - that was their problem.

I love my neighborhood, my neighbors, and my house. I'm still friends with neighbors from my last city. And, overall, I've come out ahead on sales. However, though I know some things will always be missed, I will never be burned again. I will hire a plumber, a carpenter, an electrician, a roofer, and a different termite company, all with excellent references in hand.

As the former owner of an home inspection company, a professionally licensed inspector would check all systems listed on the original post with some exceptions (below).

The inspection should take a good 4-5 hours. This could be longer depending on the size of the property. THE BUYER should be at the inspection and you should bring specific questions and also be prepared to take notes. Your inspector will provide you with a lot of inside information on your new home that wont necessarily be included in the final report. THE SELLER should not be at the inspection because any items of concern need to be addressed between the buyer, the seller and the Realtors - and must always be in writing.

In addition to your home inspection, you should have (1.)an independent roof inspection A inspector will certainly note any issues on these two but a roof inspector will not only give you the expected life span of the roof but will be able to provide you with specifics such as estimates to repair or replace as well as the number of layers currently on your roof, etc. You may not need a roof for 10-15 years, but you will already have the information you need to move forward with repairs and not get taken advantage of by a roofing company. Request the inspection in writing.

(2.) A chimney inspection will provide you will similar information and an estimate for cleaning - which you should ALWAYS have before you move into any property. Don't take someone's word that the chimney is clean and in good repair. If the seller has never used the fireplace, do it anyway. If the home is brand new construction, do it anyway. Request the inspection in writing.

(3) You also need to request a camera inspection for the sewer lines. Obviously this is more important in older neighborhoods but trust me, brand new neighborhoods can have sewer lines that are not installed, connected or sealed correctly. Request the inspection findings in writing.

All three of these, plus the home inspection shouldn't run more than $1000.00 It is money well spent.

An inspector will give you an estimated age of your heating system, specifically the furnace. You can decide to have an inspection based on this information.

An inspector will report any evidence of draining problems, pests, dampness, plumbing repair , concerns, etc. So READ your inspection, ask for clarifications if needed and/or further inspections.

Important Points:
- Your offer must be contingent on your inspection as well as provide time for you to READ YOUR INSPECTIONS and request further inspections if needed.
- An inspector is a primarily a reporter . They will note points of concern, age, etc but it is your responsibility to read the inspection and to decide if further inquiry is necessary.
- A professionally licensed inspector carries both general liability insurance and E&O (errors and omissions) insurance and can be sued for recourse.
- Ask both your Realtor and your Mortgage Banker for referrals for your inspector and your appraiser. Some banks use only in-house appraisers.
- If your seller has already had an inspection, order your own through another firm.
- If your seller has already had an appraisal, order your own through another firm.
- A good rule of thumb is to order (yourself) anything that you expect to own a full copy of: inspection, appraisal, etc. If the seller orders it, they own it and do not need to provide you with a copy.

READ YOUR INSPECTION. If you have questions or concerns or need more information, ask for it immediately. You'd be shocked how often people don't read their inspection carefully and then are unhappy to find out that the 20 year old furnace died during their first year of home ownership.

READ:
Read and understand your GFE: Good Faith Estimates. HOA dues are included here.
Read and understand your Purchase and Sale Agreement. HOA dues, items included in the sale such as appliances etc are included as well as contingencies.
Read and understand the Sellers Disclosure Statement: they are legally bound to be truthful and yes, you can sue for non-disclosure
Read and understand your Appraisal. HOA information is included here too. An appraiser is also mandated to report crimes which may have occurred in the property.
Read and understand the HOA agreement: Your RE Agent will provide you with a copy for free.
Read and understand the Property Inspection: Ask for clarifications and order further inspections as warranted.
Read your lending and title documents: UPON REQUEST your Title company will give you a full pre-closing copy of all closing documents so you have time to review and clarify all items before you get to the closing table.

I have worked as a RE agent, owned an inspection company, trained and worked as an appraiser and have 18 years as a mortgage broker, I've purchased, remodeled and flipped 10 homes while raising my family. I'm not bragging, just FYI.

HAPPY BUYING!

Great post...couldn't agree more. "Taste the water" - never would have thought of that. Great tip!.
I also have a few tips I could with regards to checking finances, location, loan considerations etc. Please see them at the attached link: http://www.sundaybell.com/classroom/7-tips-for-buying-your-next-home/
It's a further departure from the obvious when you are shopping, but nonetheless, it's important to consider the financial side of things to ensure the deal goes smoothly.
Thanks again,
Andrew (Sundaybell)

Wow, all this stuff about Realtors. I sold real estate in Hawaii for years. We NEVER would recommend an inspector, we would give client a list that we had worked with and found satisfactory. This is just a common sense move, as the client could come back and sue you if the inspectors screwed up. This was how we dealt with any of the other team members needed on a transaction- escrow, lenders, etc.
I also took "representing" my clients seriously. That means I looked out for their financial interests in every way. The seller's agent is supposed to do the same thing.That's why you should never buy a house through the listing agent the sellers hired. The listing agent works for the SELLER, not you, the buyer, so it's a conflict of interest. It costs you NOTHING to hire your own buyer's agent to represent you- the seller is paying the realtor costs, split between the two agents.

I always had them stay with the inspector so he or she could explain things. Some things may look bad in writing but are minor, but others look like nothing to the untrained eye and will cost you big time.
It's important to remember that if a major issue comes up on a sale, the buyers should be prepared to walk. The sellers are required by law to DISCLOSE that issue to all subsequent buyers. So they should be receptive to working with you.