What repairs are the seller required to pay for when selling a home in Big Bear?

When writing my last blog, I discussed the Home Inspection process in Big Bear and today I thought I would take it one step further and discuss who is responsible for paying for repairs that came up in the home inspection.

There are a number of buyers that think that after getting a home inspection, they then expect the seller to make all of the repairs that came up as a result of the inspection. In trying to shed some light on that subject, let's examine a few things.

What is required of the seller in order to sell a home in Big Bear?

The California Residential Purchase Contract states that the only thing a seller is required to do to his house in Big Bear, or anywhere else in California for that matter is to strap the water heater and make sure that there are working smoke detectors in the bedrooms. That is ALL that the seller is required to do in order to sell a house in Big Bear.

What is the purpose of the Home Inspection?

The purpose of the home inspection is to give the buyer a better understanding and overview of what they are buying. You may have picked out the best looking cabin in Big Bear, but by letting the home inspector take a look at the place, you may find out that there are plumbing leaks, electrical problems, roofing issues, and so on. By letting the inspector go through your choice of properties in Big Bear, you then know what the true condition of the property is.

What do you do with the inspection report once you have it?

Once the inspector has completed his work on your dream home in Big Bear, he is going to issue you a report that explains all of his findings. Once you've read and understood the report, what do you do with it? Again, the report is to give you, the buyer a clear understanding of the condition of the property. Some buyers think that after spending $250.00 to $300.00 for the report, that they should then turn the report into a Fix It List for the seller. This is truly a misconception.

Will the seller pay for any repairs?

The Purchase Contract gives the buyer the right to do the home inspection and to ask the seller to make repairs. As I stated at the beginning of this blog, the seller is not required to make any repairs other than to make sure that there are working smoke detectors in the bedrooms and to have the water heater strapped. After being presented with a repair request, the seller may or may not agree to make any of the repairs that you, the buyer are asking for. Normally, if the seller agrees to make repairs, the buyer will then sign off the inspection contingency and move forward with the close. If the seller refuses to make any repairs, then the buyer has to decide whether to move forward with the close and buy the property as is. If the repairs are too extensive and the seller won't make any of the requested repairs or offer some sort of credit to the buyers, then the buyer can simply back out of the deal.