Seller asked to leave during home inspection
Q: We just accepted an offer to buy our home, and our agent made a strange request. She asked that we not be home during the buyers’ home inspection. This seems unreasonable to us. We don’t like the idea of people walking through our home when we are not there. If the buyers are permitted to attend the inspection, why should we be asked to leave?
A: Many sellers share your discomfort over the invasive aspects of a home inspection. The thought of people you don’t know walking through your bedroom, looking into your closets and under the sinks and opening drawers, without your supervision and oversight, can be unsettling, but this has become part of the routine when selling a home.
It is also common practice, among some real estate agents, to request sellers not to be present during an inspection. They do this to avoid the possibility of disagreements or misunderstanding occurring when buyers and sellers are all present. Agents often ask sellers to take a walk or go out to lunch during the home inspection. This allows buyers to freely discuss the condition of the home with their inspector. However, you are definitely not obligated to comply with this request. It is your home, and no one can require that you leave. If you want to be present, that is your right. But keep in mind that the buyers are paying hundreds of dollars to hear what the inspector has to say, and privacy in that relationship means a lot when buying a home. The best way to understand this is to consider how you would feel if you were the buyer and this were your home inspection.
If you decide to stay home during the inspection, let the buyers have their private time with the inspector, rather than hovering over the process. Allowing the inspection relationship to breathe will help to keep the transaction alive.
Q: We just bought a bank-owned home and are beginning to fix it up, but we have a serious concern. When we removed the old carpets from the bedrooms, we found gaps between the concrete slab and the perimeter foundation. This was never disclosed to us, and we want to know what we can do about it. What is your advice?
A: Banks typically have no knowledge of the physical conditions of homes that they sell, especially conditions that are concealed by carpets and other building components. When banks foreclose on a home, the property becomes a statistical entity on their books, not a place with which they are familiar. This is why banks, as sellers, are exempt from the disclosure laws that apply to regular sellers.
In most cases, gaps around a slab are not significant defects or cause for concern. Concrete slabs typically shrink as they harden, and shrinkage can leave gaps around the perimeter. However, to be sure about the structural integrity of the building, further evaluation by a licensed structural engineer is advised.
• Distributed by Action Coast Publishing. Questions to Barry Stone can be emailed to barry@housedetective.com.