Two types of Metro Detroit home inspectors that you don't want to deal with

Getting a good Metro Detroit home inspector is what every home buyer wants. I recently read an article on line and they wrote about a home inspector that had a license plate that said "deal Kllr" or "deal killer".

As a real estate agent of course I would not want to hire a bozo like that. I have clients that have put in an offer on a house. They want to buy a house. So why would they want to hire somebody that will kill the house deal. That would be like marrying the woman that has the bumper sticker "bitch on board" or marrying the guy that has the bumper sticker "red neck chauvinistic pig on board". You just don't open yourself up to those kind of problems. It just isn't worth it.

When you hire a Metro Detroit home inspector you want them to find all the issues and potential issues in the house. You don't want them to kill your house offer. You want them to tell you what is a major issue and what isn't. .

Then you as the home buyer have to decide whether to exercise your option to void the contract because of inspection deficiencies. Or to:

1. Ask for the items to be repaired by the seller
2. Ask for money so you can repair them
3. Or to agree to buy the house "as is"

Every house will have inspection issues. There are no "perfect houses" out there. So the key is how to negotiate out the problems. If you want to buy the house and get the little items repaired then it is my job as your Metro Detroit Realtor to help you achieve that goal.

The other "bozo" home inspector that you don't want to hire is the "sell you all the tests" inspector. You can get a:

• mold test done
• water test done
• radon test done
• septic and well test done
• furnace test done

This year I dealt with an inspector that did that to my Northville first time home buyers. They scared him about land grading around the house. ( He said it was bad... he could tell under a foot of snow). There was a rust stain on the wall and he sold my clients a $300 atmospheric mold test. By the time they were thru the inspection costs were over $1200. He made money on selling all those tests.

If you have the money then get all the tests done. But if you don't have an excess of money and their isn't real evidence of a problem you don't need to go overboard. In Michigan I recommend a radon test if you can afford it. And if there is a well and septic tank you must get them tested to be safe. I don't want you to be gouged by a money making salesman. He can afford to do less Metro Detroit home inspections if he is selling all the add ons.

Just for the Metro Detroit home inspector to walk into the house with the goal of killing the deal isn't a good way to do business. Or to scare the potential home buyer is not I want the home inspector to do. I want the home inspector to rationally explain the issues. Then let the home buyer decide for themselves based on their handyman skills, contractor contacts, and money whether they can deal with the issue.

Home issues like major structural damage, major repair costs, mold, and issues that can't be easily fixed are great reasons to walk away from a house. I have people walk away for mold, walk away for basement structural damage, and walk away for major repair cost. So don't be afraid of exercising your option of killing the deal.

Russ Ravary your Metro Detroit real estate agent

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