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In the sales contract, the sellers of your new
home agreed to leave all the light fixtures, custom blinds, and
refrigerator. When you walk in the home on moving day, to your
surprise, all of those things are gone. In addition, the locks on
the back door are broken; there is a huge stain on the living room
carpet, and the garage opener doesn't work.
Although this may be extreme, it could happen, which is why
it is important to have a final inspection of the home you are
purchasing before the closing. A preclosing inspection gives you,
one last opportunity to verify that you are getting all that was
promised in the sales contract. Although buyers still have legal
recourse if they discover—even after closing—that the condition
of the home is not as it should be. The best time to identify
problems is before closing when the seller will be motivated
to correct any deficiencies in order to close the transaction.
Typically, a buyer takes possession of a property one to
three months after signing the sales agreement. But, a lot can
happen before the actual move-in. Appliances and fixtures can break
down, and walls, carpets and doors can be damaged during the
seller's move-out. Sometimes the seller will simply have forgotten
that he or she has agreed to leave the refrigerator or window
coverings with the house. Whatever the reason, problems identified
before the closing have the best chance of being remedied.
If possible, schedule the inspection right before the
closing, such as the day before. Ask your real estate professional
to attend the inspection with you. What should you be inspecting?
Using a copy of the sales contract as a checklist, first make sure
that all items that should be in place (appliances, built-in
furniture, window coverings, fixtures, etc.) are there.
Test each appliance to make sure they work properly. Bring
along an electrical clock or radio to test each electrical outlet.
Test all electrical switches and the garage door opener, if there is
one. Run the garbage disposal and turn on every water faucet,
checking under the sinks for leaks. Flush the toilets. Inspect the
floors, carpets, walls and doors for recent damage.
If you discover that something is damaged or missing, make a
note of it and inform your real estate professional immediately. In
most cases, the seller is usually able to take care of small
problems immediately, either by making a needed repair or offering
compensation to handle it. And, if there are major problems, the
seller can even sign a statement acknowledging the deficiency and
agree to correct it. Although preclosing inspections take time and
may be inconvenient, they are important and well worth the buyer's
time.
If you have questions about the escrow
process, confer with your real estate professionals who can help
provide you with more detail with this or any other home buying or
selling subject..
We
can be reached at (310) 265-2130
Prudential California Realty is an independently owned and operated
member
|of The Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential
Financial company.
Equal Housing
Opportunity
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