General Info:
As YOUR home inspector ( the buyer's inspector), I will help you understand the realistic situation of any home you have me inspect. As home prices have gone up over the years, some sellers feel they have it "in-the-bag" to ask the assessed value, or sometimes even more! Many times, I dare say most of the time, the previous home-owner did not keep up with home maintenance. Even worse, they may have never realized that the builder cut corners, and that has taken a toll on the home for it's whole life. This will have DECREASED the home value, and not increased as they may have thought, based off of inflation and housing market. The housing market needs to be realistic. With a home built to specification and modern code, built to a high standard, will INCREASE with the markets. A home that was improperly built in the first place, and/or neglected over the years, will depreciate, and go down in value. As long as proper repairs are ignored, or even "fudged" or had quick repairs that are of low-quality done, these types of houses only go DOWN in value over time. The cost for you to repair neglect only gets more expensive as time goes by. Imagine a roof where a tree branch fell and caused a small hole. Over time, rain, sun, pests, etc. the hole will get worse and the damage will enter the home and grow like a cancer through the attic and eventually the roofing structure. Imagine that nothing was done over years, how expensive it would become to repair the roof versus that initial repair. There are also hired professionals that may have missed a step in a repair like that, and it went unseen for years. Once found, that damage will cost you. This is why you hire a good Home Inspector. There is no reason you should be cornered into a home sale of a below-standard home at high-standard pricing. I will be realistic and help you to assess what your potential new home has or needs. This is to help you (and your realtor) negotiate a REAL and FAIR market value.