Be certain the seller fixed what he said he fixed!

OK You’ve made an offer on your new Rhode Island home, it was accepted pending your buyers home inspection, and you’ve had an inspection too. Good job! The seller has addressed all concerns and repaired a few items. You hope?

Not so fast, be sure the items were repaired! Have one of two things at your disposal to be sure, not just hopeful.

You have one option, get the paperwork from the contractor who repaired the defects, and see if the home warranty company covers repairs after the home is sold. If so, you may have some recourse if the repair turns out to be less than top notch.

You have a second option, ask for a re-inspection of the defects. Your RI home inspector will usually perform a quick “re-inspect” if items in his initial report to ensure the repairs appear to have been done correctly. This re-inspection does not usually have the whole report etc… This is typically a quick verbal report to the buyer or agent. There will typically be a small fee for this, but it’s money well spent. They will recommend honest and reliable professionals at water heater replacement when they see the need for one.

Often times you see a home seller try to cut corners on these last minute repairs as contractors who are willing to work and book last minute and short notice are also willing to charge last minute pricing.

I’ve seen repairs done by the seller, and poorly. I’ve seen the “not so handy man” take care of items too. The last thing you want to do is inherit a problem when you tried to do your due diligence and have the home inspected, then drop the ball right at the end. If the seller doesn’t want to allow a re-inspection, maybe you should have a bit of concern. For more information about this topic visit www.homeinspectorri.com .