Repair Addendum

When it comes to home inspections, there are some things that you should definitely consider having the seller take care of before you take possession of the home because assuming liability after taking possession could be a risky proposition. There may be potential of estimates for repairs going over the original bids once the work begins.

• Leaky roof/mold in attic A leaky roof or mold in the attic should really be evaluated by a professional. Mold remediation bid repairs are usually pretty solid and don’t change too much in price. However roof repairs can have a little more variation and tend to be a lot more expensive. When possible, this is a repair you may want to have the seller complete before closing to alleviate yourself from the liability of finding even more issues when they start the repairs if you were to receive a credit for the repairs and have a professional perform them once you take possession of the home. Don’t risk it, have the seller perform these repairs if you can.
• Water/mold in crawlspace (rodent infestation) Again, this is a repair you may want the seller to take care of before possession.  Rodent infestation typically requires some sort of paid monthly service for 1 year in order to correct it. You can’t simply fix the missing/damaged screens where the rodents are getting in and call it good. It takes months of testing to confirm that the issue is corrected.  When it comes to water/mold in the crawlspace, this is an item that can cost a few thousand dollars to repair depending on what’s causing the issues. Typically, these bids for repairs are pretty solid and don’t usually turn into other headaches once they start the repairs. If you can, you should alleviate yourself from the risks of any of these and see if the seller will perform the repairs before close date.
• Electrical When minor repairs like GFCI outlet needed at a certain outlet are called out, and you are fairly handy, this is something you may be willing to take care of once you take possession of the home. If you are not handy and for more serious concerns (breaker box issues, exposed bare wires, inoperable switches, etc) you should definitely have a licensed electrician bid and give estimate for repairs to have the seller perform these repairs before you  take possession of the home.
• Major mechanicals Like the furnace, water heater and AC unit may also be something you want the seller to take care of before close date if concerns were called out by the inspector. Because the inspector is not the professional when it comes to “needed” repairs and they only do visual inspections on these items and give “recommended” repairs, it is in your best interest to have a licensed professional inspect any items of concern called out by the home inspector.  It can be risky to take a credit for these repairs and then perform them after you take possession based on the estimates for repairs (too many variables and very expensive issues can come up with furnace repairs) Water heaters however are pretty straight forward and the bid you get for that is typically a pretty solid number without much room for variance.