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Buying or Selling a Home/Home Inspection: What should be fixed?

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Expert: - 11/23/2006


Question
I recently went through an initial walkthrough on a renovated condo and am unclear on what things "qualify" for fixing (I wish I had gotten a home inspector). We noticed that one of the door frames and the new cabinets in the kitchen were also slightly mis-aligned. The property manager said there was nothing they could do about the cabinets and when I pointed out some "lumpy" parts on the window frame, he said that they were the original windows and that was a "picky" request. Additionally, the carpet was a lower grade then was displayed in the model. The contract states (in several places) that they can substitute any material so I think I'm out of luck there. What is the seller obligated to fix and is there anything I can do (for example, request the cabinet alignment) now that I've signed the walkthrough document?

Answer
Dear Maria,
Without reviewing your contract I can't state for sure that you don't have an "out" but as for the walk-through items...once you sign off on the document and the condo it deems acceptance and there is nothing more to be said. You may not like the "cosmetic imperfections" but as long as they are functioning in the manner they were intended they are acceptable by trade standards. However, if you want to back out of the deal an attorney might be able to find an escape hatch (so to speak) if you want to contact one and pursue that avenue.
Good luck,
Jessica Bryan

Buying or Selling a Home

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Jessica Bryan

Expertise

buying and selling process such as:
General questions from first time buyers
How to market a home
Why choose a REALTOR
How do I find a REALTOR
Should I consider buying or selling without a REALTOR--how much can I save
Should I remodel or move
How much can I expect to gain by fixing up my home before selling
Helpful tips when selling
Helpful tips when buying
finding a good mortgage loan
what is the difference between banks, mortgage bankers, and mortgage brokers
Questions from the general public, people thinking about getting their real estate license, newly licensed.
Fellow professionals who have interests in networking and how to get started
What is a market evaluation and how does it differ from an appraisal what are the different loan programs
services a REALTOR can perform
when to use a lawyer
when to use escrow
what are the regional differences in the buying and selling process
what is the MLS and how does it work
how can the layman access information on the web--listings and other information
These are just a few of the questions. I can suggest that if I am unable to answer a question I will refer the inquiry to a source that can.

Experience

Anyone who is in this business and who dedicates oneself to professionalism has continued to take classes and along with it,additional credentials, awards and honors. I can list a host of them, but my greatest accomplishments happen to be those of getting first time buyers (who didn't think they could afford to buy a home)into a home of their dreams. The look on their faces when I hand over the keys is worth all of the hard work.

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