Count on a Realtor to take a look around
One of the important jobs a Realtor does during the course of a
transaction is a visual inspection. We must look at all reasonably
and normally accessible areas of the property and note any material
fact affecting the value and/or desirability of the property.
Count on a Realtor to take a look around
One of the important jobs a Realtor does during the course of a transaction is a visual inspection. We must look at all reasonably and normally accessible areas of the property and note any material fact affecting the value and/or desirability of the property.
This duty includes residential units up to four dwelling units and mobile or manufactured homes whether detached or, as with a condominium, attached. We are not required to inspect inaccessible areas (I’m not going into the crawl space under the house!), areas off site, or common areas of planned developments or condominiums. We also are not required to search public records or permits.
This is an important task because we may see something a buyer might not. After all, most of us have inspected hundreds of homes and experience has taught us what red flags are thrown by certain conditions. We are, however, trained not to use adjectives.
“Adjectives?” you ask. “What could be the problem with adjectives?” Imagine you’re inspecting a house. You see there’s a crack running along the sheetrock in the dining room. You write down, “Small crack in dining room sheetrock.” Now imagine the buyer walks into the dining room expecting a “small crack” and finds that it runs from top to bottom of one wall. They think that’s a huge crack, and that the seller ought to redo the sheetrock and repaint the wall. Oh, well. The second scenario is this. You see the same crack. You write, “Crack in dining room sheetrock due to house settling.” The buyer purchases the home and three weeks later the ceiling caves in due to structural failure. Uh-oh.
I’m sure you get the point. We are not experts in the field of inspection. Rather, you can think of us as the conductor of the symphony. We make sure each of the musicians is on time and in key, but we can’t be expected to know how to tune the viola or bring out the beauty of a Beethoven concerto.
And there are some things that an agent will not do. For instance, we won’t climb onto the roof and inspect the tiles, or shimmy into the attic access door. We will not move furniture and pictures and rugs to look at the surfaces hidden behind. We are not expected to look up chimneys, peer into cabinets, or open locked doors.
We do not determine the functionality of appliances or electrical and plumbing systems. We don’t assess the efficacy of heating and cooling systems. And, whoa, doggies! Don’t ask us to open that septic system cover.
We do not verify square footages nor identify boundary lines, easements and encroachments.
Your Realtor will not be the one to decide if this property has mold or mildew, lead-based paint, radon, formaldehyde and the like. We cannot tell if a property has been used to manufacture drugs. We do not analyze soil or report on geological conditions.
Your Realtor, by statute, is not required to check permits or inspect public records, or guarantee zoning status or restrictions. We do not identify proposed construction or development, transportation routes, school district areas, or law enforcement.
Real estate agents report what they see, but do not provide an analysis of the situation, a determination of the cause or source of the situation, or an estimate of the financial impact of any repair or remediation.
Our visual inspection is not intended to take the place of an inspection done by a licensed professional. The buyer ALWAYS has the duty to inspect whatever he or she wants. In addition, the buyer must review all the disclosures given to them by the owner. It is a good idea to review the reports with the professional who generated them, making sure everything is clear.
California is a consumer advocate state, so the scales of the transaction are tipped in the favor of the buyer. The buyer can easily extricate his or herself from a transaction; it is more difficult for a seller to do the same. Having said this, the buyer should take a proactive stance when it comes to the purchase of a new home. Review the documents, check and double-check, before removing the contingency of the property inspection when you buy.
This year the California Association of Realtors released a new form called the Agent Visual Inspection Disclosure, or AVID. AVID is used when a transfer disclosure statement (TDS) is not required by the seller, or as a supplement to the TDS if the agent so chooses. I like the name AVID. If you look up avid in a dictionary you will see it means keen or enthusiastic. And since this form is not mandatory, its inclusion into a transaction will show you that your Realtor is avid about the business of buying and selling!
The market continues as it has for a few months. There are homes selling, just not as many and not as fast. If you’d like to see what opportunities you have in the current market, call your local Realtor today.
And be kind to your Realtor.
