When buying a pre-owned home, what are some important questions to ask to make sure it is in good condition?

Question

Are there any "issues" the realtors don't have to disclose unless you specifically ask about?

Answer 1

First of all, Realtors must disclose every thing about the property that they have knowlege of. The Realtor carries Error and Omissions insurance in case of different types of suits come up pertaining to the property. There are a number of suits that pertain to disclosure issues. If you know of a Realtor that is intentionally not diclosing something then he needs to be reported to the local board.

I really doubt that there is an agent out there that would hide anything intenionally. Even though we have insurance, the deductible is between $5,000 and $10,000.

By contract it is your responsibility to be satisfied with the condition of the property and not the Realtors responsibility to give you ANY information about the properties condition. They are not even supposed to measure the house for you to tell you what the square footage is. That information is on county records and you need to verify.

With that said you need to hire a home inspector, one that holds Error and Omissions insurance. He should be certified and belong to an inspectors Association that keeps them educated to all new laws ect.

I get so tired of peoples misconceptions of Realtors. We don't hide things from you just to get the sale. We are not shady sales people hanging out on a street corner looking for the next dupe. We are schooled highly trained and licensed by the dept. of real estate. We are professionals that take pride in finding you the house of your dreams. A great agent will disclose every thing known, to you and will point out to you  things that he sees upon a reasonable visual inspection.

It is your reponsibilty to take it to the next step of getting a home inspection a roof inspection a well inspection a water potability inspection if there is a well and if there is a septic you need one of those inspections as well. Oh yeah the most important is the pest inspection. So if you want it done well and done right there is your list.

Answer 2

You should not buy one without an inspection by a certified inspector - that should be one of your offer contingencies.

Answer 3

If you get serious about  a house you will definately want a home inspection done first, you can also get a home warranty both of which in this market you could get the seller to pay for. There should also be sellers disclosures available for your review the seller has to disclose any problems that they know of.

Answer 4

You don't need to ask for anything other than a professional home inspection as a contingency when you make an offer.

Answer 5

You could ask about the roof, the foundation, the date of furnace installation. things like that.  But the home inspection should cover it all.

Good luck

Answer 6

If you are purchasing a bank owned or short sale you may not be able to make a contingent contact with a home inspection.  In those cases the homes are usually sold in as-is condition.

You could ask about the roof, if the water drains towards or away from the house (towards could mean cracks in the foundation), the age of the furnace/ ac unit and if any renovations were made by a licensed contractor.