Here are my tips to avoid buying a “lemon” house:

1. General Inspection- Once under contract on the home you’ve picked it’s your time to conduct thorough due diligence on the condition of a home. This usually starts with a general home inspection that evaluates the condition of the home across ~500 key points within the electrical, plumbing, HVAC and other major systems within the home. This is a great first step, but is not nearly comprehensive enough.
2. Additional Inspections- Don’t try to save money by skimping on additional inspections. Depending on the age and location of the home along with the general inspection report, I typically recommend doing some additional specialized inspections to cover basis. Things that you can’t see, like sewer lines, can be super costly repairs and definitely something you want to know prior to moving into a home. Other common specialty inspections I recommend are HVAC, Electrical and Roofing. These are the big ticket items in the house that all clients should be well informed on before purchasing. Budget $750-$1000 for all the inspections… you won’t regret the expense.
3. Get Quotes on Everything- The benefit of getting speciality inspections is that you also receive quotes for the necessary repairs. This can be a good gut check on if this is something you can live with and repair later or something that’s super costly and a deal breaker for the home.  By providing this information to sellers you’re also giving them further rationale to justify the repair. 
4. Research- Within the inspection window you will be presented with the Seller Disclosure which shares any known current or past issues on the home. Review this with a fine tooth comb and work with your agent to clarify any of the points of concern with the sellers. I also highly recommend clients pull the public records for permits and inspections to make sure things are legit. It’s also a good idea to request the history on utilities and general maintenance expenses. For example, if the property has large trees it’s totally fair to ask for their records on how frequently and how much it costs to maintain those trees. 
5. Request Strategy- Prioritizing your seller repair requests is critical to a successful home purchase. Please keep in mind, this is not a time to renegotiate the price of the house. This is where you request necessary repairs on items that impact the immediate usage of the home and or present a safety hazard. Typically, the seller is willing to complete a portion of the repairs that fall in these categories within reason. On occasion, the seller will offer to credit you to do the repairs yourself after closing. With any large scale repairs I always advise having them completed by the seller and re-inspected prior to closing. 
6. Home Warranty- Lastly, I always recommended that a home warranty is included in the purchase of a home. Regardless of if the buyer or seller pays for it, it’s a nice safe guard should any unexpected repairs come up that weren’t covered in any of the inspections. 

As your real estate guide, I have processes to make sure that we cover all your bases and make sure we put every safeguard in place to avoid a potential money pit. I pride myself on providing all the resources and information for you to make the best educated decision for you and your families investment. If you have any questions or concerns on navigating this process please don’t hesitate to reach out. 

Lindsay Fricks- Helping you, your family and friends Live & Love in Arizona!