https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 06 Apr 2026 05:17:56 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2607169 Fri, 19 Aug 2016 11:25:16 +0000 autumnleaves 2607169@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If buying an older home, I recommend not skimping on the inspection - we got a couple different quotes and wanted a lot of attention to detail. Sure issues can come up after an inspection but hopefully the inspection will catch most issues. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2607110 Fri, 19 Aug 2016 10:05:20 +0000 MaryM 2607110@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@IRunForFun: I wasn't there for the one on my first house, but I sent DH (we were just dating at the time). </p> <p>But when we bought the second house, I knew better that he doesn't always hear things the same way I do, so I should probably listen for myself instead of just letting him decide what does and doesn't get done. So glad I did! </p> <p>He's convinced our gutters need to be replaced because they look crooked. I'm glad I was there to hear the inspector verify that yes, they are crooked, but they slant for a reason. You know, so the rain can drain in the direction of the downspout. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2607105 Fri, 19 Aug 2016 10:01:10 +0000 IRunForFun 2607105@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: Same. Our home inspector did the radon test, it was just an additional cost.</p> <p>@MaryM: Oh my gosh I'm so glad I was there during the inspection. I never would have been able to make heads or tails of the report! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2607101 Fri, 19 Aug 2016 09:52:44 +0000 MaryM 2607101@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Truth Bombs: I had the same experience with inspectors. I think it's acceptable that different people catch different things, but there was literally nothing from my move in report that my buyer's inspector put in their report. </p> <p>I would also caution that it's important to be there when the inspector is inspecting. I think you get a lot more out of the experience that way and you're able to ask them questions about things you see and they can better explain to you the severity of the things they're writing down. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2607072 Fri, 19 Aug 2016 09:23:27 +0000 Foodnerd81 2607072@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@littlebug: our area potentially has high radon levels and every inspector we called included testing for it as an optional (but recommended) add on. DH wanted to skip it because he does those tests for work anyone and he could easily do it himself but I insisted we keep it included with the home inspection (luckily it was fine anyway). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2607057 Fri, 19 Aug 2016 08:57:12 +0000 Truth Bombs 2607057@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bluestriped bee: You don't do a home inspection until you're under contract (and you can back out if you don't like the findings of the home inspection), so it's not something you would have to do on every house you looked at. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2607055 Fri, 19 Aug 2016 08:55:14 +0000 Truth Bombs 2607055@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@peachykeen: Its amazing how bad some home inspectors are. We love ours (who actually was recommended to us by our realtor) but the guy who inspected our old home for our buyers was terrible. He didn't point stuff out to them that had showed up on our inspection when we bought the place 3 years earlier, and never did anything about. Our A/C unit was also pretty old (it functioned fine, but would probably need replacing sooner rather than later, and could have stood to be bigger for the size of the house) and he didn't mention anything about it. I'm pretty sure he never even went in our attic. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2607047 Fri, 19 Aug 2016 08:49:56 +0000 mdf106 2607047@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bluestriped bee: I think in the $50-$100 range, I don't remember exactly. I am sure it varies. </p> <p>We even had an AC issue which was not covered, because it was caused by an act of nature (a rabbit chewed through an AC line). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2607025 Fri, 19 Aug 2016 08:34:53 +0000 Mrs D 2607025@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ooooohhh... @Amorini: brought up a great point on looking at the trees! DH and I have always said we suck and noticing massive yard work before moving in. We've bought both our houses in the Winter and therefore the ground was covered with snow...</p> <p>However - we should have call our tree guy to look at the trees here in our current house. We have five 100' oaks within striking distance of the house...thankfully they are all healthy but still...just trimming them as was needed cost us $2000 right after we moved in...would have been good to pay attention to that! God forbid any of them needed to come down it could be $2K per tree! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2606975 Fri, 19 Aug 2016 07:42:09 +0000 littlebug 2606975@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Also, if you live in an area where radon levels are high, ask for a radon test and then a mitigation system if the levels are high. Our first home was tested and high, so we negotiated the installation of the mitigation system into the contract. I honestly don't know how you know if radon levels are high locally, but I'm sure if you ask your realtor they would know.</p> <p>ETA: Here's a chart from the EPA <a href="https://www.epa.gov/radon/find-information-about-local-radon-zones-and-state-contact-information#radonmap" rel="nofollow">https://www.epa.gov/radon/find-information-about-local-radon-zones-and-state-contact-information#radonmap</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2606963 Fri, 19 Aug 2016 07:28:27 +0000 peachykeen 2606963@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Expanding on what @littlebug: said - make sure your home inspector really does his job! We hired one that was "highly recommended" by our broker and actually did have great online reviews... but my husband had to follow him around and point things out to him! It was such a waste of money and also concerning given what he might have missed. He couldn't even figure out that he should plug in the fridge to make sure it worked (it was unplugged but the sellers had left the plug handy for that reason, I'm sure). We are planning to buy again in the next few months and this issue is top on our list... Sigh. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2606961 Fri, 19 Aug 2016 07:21:44 +0000 looch 2606961@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mdf106: I had the same experience. We tried to use it to replace the fridge when I realized that if you closed the door, the freezer popped open, but they didn't even want to come out for the repair. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2606835 Thu, 18 Aug 2016 21:08:20 +0000 Amorini 2606835@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Like PPs haves mentioned, we got a home warranty ($695 because it covers AC) in the negotiations. It didn't cost us a cent. We may renew it on our own dime when the time comes since the AC is near the end of its lifespan. </p> <p>@bluestriped bee: I think it's $80 for a tech to come out for us. </p> <p>Here's my other must-do list:<br /> Home inspection (duh)<br /> Septic inspection<br /> Well inspection<br /> Water quality testing<br /> Roof inspection<br /> Read title report for existing easements (or hire someone to do it; closing attorney doesn't count)<br /> Arborist inspection (if there are big trees on property.</p> <p>Each inspection is $$$ but, if done during due diligence, you can use the results to better negotiate. We probably spent $1000 in inspections this last time and but saved $5000 - $6000 in things the seller had to repair for us. That's quite a good return on investment! We skipped roof and arborist inspections which would have doubled those savings. Each time we buy, I learn another thing that should be checked! Reading the title report is the latest biggie. We paid for it but never even got a copy... It wasn't until we went to put in a fence that we were told about a drainage easement ... No one told us or probably read the report (closing attorney, our agent). Real estate buying is so hard!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2606649 Thu, 18 Aug 2016 17:51:26 +0000 Boogs 2606649@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Sometimes you can actually negotiate the warranty as part of your contract so you don't have to pay for it!</p> <p>I wouldn't buy a house without doing a home inspection. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2606613 Thu, 18 Aug 2016 17:26:35 +0000 BSB 2606613@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MediaNaranja: Good to know. Thanks! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2606611 Thu, 18 Aug 2016 17:26:11 +0000 BSB 2606611@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mdf106: How much was the fee to look at things? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2606604 Thu, 18 Aug 2016 17:11:19 +0000 mdf106 2606604@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our home warranty was also useless. The seller paid it, I would not get one otherwise. They charged a fixed fee to look at things, and almost everything was not covered, or it would have been cheaper to pay for the repair outright (the repair would have cost less than the fee). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2606585 Thu, 18 Aug 2016 16:36:49 +0000 Maysprout 2606585@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our home warranty was useless. There's 1001 reasons they won't cover things. We had 3 diff issues, they denied them all. One for previous home owner did damage that wasn't covered, one was a pipe failed but apparently wasn't up to code, and one was deemed weather related, which apparently didn't fall under normal wear and tear. We got some money bc I had emailed specific questions beforehand but it was a painful terrible process.<br /> The most helpful for us was getting a re inspection. We had a bunch of stuff that we wanted fixed after the first inspection and the receipts weren't detailed or compressive that they gave us for work completed. So we paid 100 for a re inspection and they ended up Prob having close to 1000 of work not completed. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2606533 Thu, 18 Aug 2016 15:29:34 +0000 MediaNaranja 2606533@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bluestriped bee: You can also ask your realtor to write a home warranty into the contract! Our realtor does that as a standard thing...asking for the sellers to purchase a home warranty up to $X (I think it was $500). We haven't had to use it yet but it's nice knowing that it's there if needed. I keep willing my kitchen appliances to die before February when the warranty runs out because they are so ugly, lol. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2606529 Thu, 18 Aug 2016 15:24:36 +0000 Jess1483 2606529@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>And, for the record, we had a home warranty at the time of the flood back-up, and it was entirely unhelpful. We did not get a warranty with this home (and 6 months in, knock on wood, we haven't regretted it.) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2606526 Thu, 18 Aug 2016 15:23:52 +0000 IRunForFun 2606526@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mediagirl: I'd also add in to check with the sellers to see if there are any existing warranties that you can take over. For example, the house we just bought, they had a high-efficiency heating system installed recently, and it's still under warranty, so we made sure to ask them to please transfer the warranty to us. Same with new windows that were just installed. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2606525 Thu, 18 Aug 2016 15:23:25 +0000 BSB 2606525@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Jess1483: Thanks! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2606523 Thu, 18 Aug 2016 15:21:04 +0000 Jess1483 2606523@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bluestriped bee: Yes, during the home inspection. We had a couple other things looked at at the same time. We knew the house needed quite a bit of work, and we also wanted some improvements bid, which wouldn't have been a part of the home inspection (gas fireplace installed, etc.) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2606517 Thu, 18 Aug 2016 15:19:38 +0000 BSB 2606517@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Jess1483: That's not bad. If it was above $1000, I would worry about paying of that for every house I considered. I'm assuming you do this before you settle... like during the home inspection, right. Yeah, I'm pretty clueless about home buying. I only got as far as considering placing an offer on a house and we decided we weren't ready to buy a home. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2606508 Thu, 18 Aug 2016 15:16:16 +0000 Jess1483 2606508@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bluestriped bee: Hm...our plumber gave us a deal (he always felt really awful after that first back-up...), but I think it was $250ish without it. Well worth it for my peace of mind. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2606503 Thu, 18 Aug 2016 15:15:18 +0000 BSB 2606503@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Jess1483: How much does it cost to scope a water line? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2606499 Thu, 18 Aug 2016 15:12:22 +0000 Jess1483 2606499@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Scope the water line...</p> <p>Our water line backed up due to about 10 feet of it being sunken 10 days after we moved into our old house. There's no evidence previous owners knew, and the house had been bank-owned for at least a few months anyway. It cost us about $5,000.</p> <p>When we bought our current house, we had the entire line scoped. Our plumber said he's cost people a few sales by revealing what was in the water line. (Luckily, this one was in great shape!) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2606498 Thu, 18 Aug 2016 15:11:49 +0000 Mrs D 2606498@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Plumbing inspection!!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2606491 Thu, 18 Aug 2016 15:10:13 +0000 BSB 2606491@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mediagirl: Thanks! Good to know! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-would-you-tell-a-home-buyer-is-a-must-do-before-signing-on-the-dotted-line#post-2606490 Thu, 18 Aug 2016 15:09:00 +0000 mediagirl 2606490@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bluestriped bee: it can be anywhere from $450 - $700+. But I think it depends on the area you are in, as well? </p>