Busy Baltimore Broker is Loving This Tuesday

Busy Baltimore Broker is Loving This Tuesday.

Another wonderfully busy day with a home inspection of my recent sale, a smooth late night settlement and a nice chat with Cheryl Richie at  8:30 PM on my ride back home.

                                                        

 A quick hello to TLH and off checking emails.

Here are the two messages that I open:

#1- Martha Brown sends me a note  ''Subject: Steve Bachman...you need to see his latest post. I think you will love it. :0 '' An Active Rain Ambassador. Digital Painting 

#2-A Zillow Review: Highly likely to recommend 

Summary: One word to describe Margaret Rome is AMAZING! You absolutely want this woman as your Realtor. She's got a wonderful warm personality, full of energy and highly professional. She's a total go-getter who produces results fast. My husband and I are SO grateful we found her!! We didn't know all the ins and outs involved with selling a home,and Margaret educated us on our options and walked us through the process. We would have been lost without her. She sold our home for us in 2005 when we moved out of state for a better job, and in the past month showed us homes as we were thinking of coming back to the Baltimore area. Her knowledge, professionalism, patience, and negotiation skills are beyond excellent! Her work ethic is outstanding! I honestly do not think there could be a better realtor than Margaret in the Baltimore area! Written about Margaret Rome on 09/04/2012

The Next Step in Buying A Home

The Next Step in Buying A Home.

Just a few weeks ago, I wrote a post about a  Family Ready to Buy in Eldersburg! Are You Thinking of Selling?  We found  the home that met their needs. We have a ratified contract. Today we went to the next step...the home inspection. 

We started at 9:00 and finished in time for me to have a late lunch with Lee.

If you listened to RainCamp this week, you would know these hours spent at an inspection are a waste of a busy agent's time.

            Boy do I disagree!

This is the  time to meet the inspectors...usually more than one. There is the main home inspector, the termite inspector and in today's case a mold inspector. These professionals are chosen with care...some with my recommendation and researched by the buyer.

 The inspection was done this morning, a holiday weekend and we already have the computerized report in my email the very same evening.

Reading the entire report with the comments and being present gives me the understanding to  discuss the buyer's concerns and help make the decisions of which items to address. I think we will wait until tomorrow for this review.

This was their wish list  (you do have your buyers make one..right?)

At least a quarter acre lot, a walk out lower level, 2 car garage, location convenient to work, specific school system, upstairs laundry, separate dining room and a home with natural gas and public utilities. Minimum 4 bedrooms and 2 baths... a must. This home has it all and a bit more. 

The Next Step in Buying A Home.

                                        

How Do You Handle the Home Inspection Request for Repairs?

 How Do You Handle the Home Inspection Request for Repairs?
                                                     
In the past 10 days, I have had three sales and that means three home inspections..2 were my listings and one for a buyer.. aka future seller. All three were handled quite differently!

There have many discussions about home inspections, who should attend, who should not attend, liability, who should be talking, who should be commenting..etc.

This discussion is how to respond the home inspection.

If you are the buyer's agent...how do you go about requesting needed repairs? Do you have a discussion with the buyers? Do you go over the report and decide what items are important to have corrected by the home owner? Do you discuss which items are normal maintenance, or normal upgrades that you would like to have addressed? Do you discuss what has to be an immediate repair and what can wait as a maintenance item? You know... like cleaning the gutters.

Or do you just take the entire report and ask that every single item, mentioned on the home inspection report, be corrected by the home owner?!

That's what happened to me. The inspection (my listing) lasted almost five hours but the agent did not get his report back for 7 days after the inspection. (He was in the time frame of the contract.) The entire report, as required, was attached with a brief statement to fix EVERYTHING listed on the report! Well not everything...only defective and marginal items!!

The Definitions explained on the report..
Defective-Item is either non-functional, a safety concern, a liability and will require Professional servicing to restore,repair or replace it.  Marginal-Item is in need of routine maintenance or minor repair work.

(Note about my other inspections... they were handled with the inspection request presented  (and resolved) within 2 days and each were spelled out what the buyer requested along with signatures.)

This is not a new home but one that has been beautifully maintained and shows pride of ownership. The report is 15 pages and describes the condition of the exterior, the roof, the electrical, plumbing, heating, air conditioning, the bathrooms, the kitchen and all the items that go into inspecting a home that is over 30 years old. Many of the inspector's comments were addressing upgrades and routine maintenance. Some noted that an item was older and to budget for replacement in the future.

I might add that we have a back up buyer.

How Do You Handle the Home Inspection Request for Repairs?

Do you have professionals on your team in Baltimore?

Do you have professionals on your team in Baltimore?
I hope you have one like  Keith Whitehead, Sr.

When  you have been in real estate for awhile you develop a team...not a team of agents for me..but a team of trusted professionals. One of these professionals is a gentleman by the name of Keith Whitehead,Sr .. President of Home Advantage Home Inspections, Inc. His wife Dee answers the phone and schedules the appointments.

Most of you know that I am a listing agent but  occasionally work with buyers. I have used Keith for a pre-home inspection.  I have used Keith when I am working for the buyer. I will recommend Keith for anyone buying or selling and if my family or friends were purchasing, I would also use him for a buyer purchasing new construction.

A good inspector can help make a transaction go smooth. The inspector is not only there to point out and write up the  defects found with the property but to help educate the buyer. The inspector works for the buyer and having a good rapport with all the parties is essential. There is way of explaining a defect, what it means, how it can be corrected and an estimated cost.

Keith does it by stating the facts and does not let emotions play a part. He speaks to the client during the inspection or he can finish the inspection and just give the summary. Almost all of the buyers choose to stay with him during the entire process. He does a hand written report at the conclusion. For me this has worked well and I can complete the home inspection repair addendum, of course after discussing it with the buyer. It is frequently done with Keith still there to make sure we all understand the issues.

         

This past week, Keith did a home inspection for my buyer  and he was true to form...pointing out the age of certain appliances, how to change a furnace filter, where the main water shut off valve was located, and even how to test the smoke detectors.  The gas fireplace was turned off. He showed how to turn the pilot on and cautioned that the gas fireplace needed to be cleaned prior to using. This was an older condo unit, the buyer was aware of the condition and negotiated the price accordingly.

There was a list of items...no major repairs, a bit of wear and tear and all in all, the buyer decided to remove the contingency with no requests.  The buyer felt completely comfortable with the inspection and felt a good choice was made in her new home.  I emailed the very surprised listing agent to tell her the good news.
Please don't get me wrong. I have no qualms about writing a tough home inspection addendum when needed and even pulling out of contract when warranted.

I hope you have professionals on your team like Keith Whitehead, Sr.