home inspection

Time is of the Essence so Get it Right the First Time

So last week I wrote about Ernie Harwell and warm fuzzy nostalgia prompted by Tiger baseball on tv or the radio. What I didn’t mention is that while I was writing I was thinking about how I couldn’t believe I had made it to my forties and never been to a ballgame.  It’s on my list of course, or at least it was, but it just hadn’t happened yet. But that was Friday.  Saturday found me at Comerica Park, Section 104 row T seat 9… under the lights for a night game no less… won with a walk in the 12th inning. Holy crap! How did that happen?! Who knows – such is life – I am just so appreciative I had the opportunity.  You know what else can happen? ANYTHING! Good and bad – even when it’s irritating -  it keeps us on our toes.

You know what I had happen TWICE last week? Botched home inspections. Thankfully the home inspector, the same in both occurrences, has a one time return included in his price. Even so it would have been so much more efficient and true to the old “time is of the essence” clause if things would have been properly prepped to begin with.

In both situations the water could not be tested.

Property #1 is a repo. Listing agent asked if we could have our inspection done by the weekend. We confirmed Monday that we would do it on Thursday.  Too bad the well pump, for which we had negotiated and CONFIRMED repair, was not working. Nor was the property dewinterzied properly. We, the buyers,  are facing deadlines, per diems, changing rates, and paying inflated month to month rent. Would it hurt terribly to remember to have the water turned on when we get there? We are now looking at at least a week delay, waiting for it to get from listing agent’s mouth to contractor’s to-do list so that we can re-inspect.

Property #2 is public water and seller owned. The water was on when we were in the property two weeks ago… just as it has been for the last three years that the house has sat vacant and for sale. Home inspection was confirmed with the listing agent.  However, the seller had for some reason taken it upon herself to have the water turned off without telling anyone. Why? Who knows- such is life.

All I know is it’s tough enough to find buyers who are both interested in buying your home and qualified to do so.  Let’s all pay attention to the details and keep things moving smoothly and on schedule. Mistakes happen, sure, we understand. But there could be less of them, and the outcome will be happier customers, less stress, more frequent paychecks, and time for fun things like baseball games!