If you’re planning on selling your home, or purchasing a new one, the first thing you need to do is hire a home inspector to perform a home inspection. Sellers should get a home inspection to be prepared. Look here for articles, videos and blog posts with more information about what you should expect out of a home inspection.
How to Pick a Home Inspector
How to Pick a Home Inspector Q: I need to know how to pick a home inspector. On your website, you stated that people need to research the person they hire to do a home inspection. Can you please provide the methodology and resources with which to do this. Most websites are populated with 'ringers' [...]
Bad Home Inspection: How do we report him?
Bad Home Inspection: How do we report him? Q: We had a bad home inspection before we sold our rental property. Our buyers’ inspector came out to our property to do the inspection. I don’t live near the home and wasn’t there for the inspection. I went to the house a week later. I discovered [...]
Get Rid of Bats and Other Uninvited Guests
How do I get rid of bats? Uninvited "guests" upset one homeowner. Q: How do I get rid of bats? I have a large colony of bats in my fireplace and some in my walls. Two weeks ago I alerted the property management and they sent out professionals. The professional sent them a report and [...]
What to Do About Unpermitted Work When Buying a House
What to do about unpermitted work when buying a house. How to look up work done on a home and who you can ask to help you make an informed decision. Q: I saw your recent column about buying a home that might not have all of the required permits for work done. You left [...]
Do I Really Need a Home Inspection Before Buying a Home?
Do I really need a home inspection before buying a home? This building inspector explains why it’s so important to hire a professional, qualified home inspector. Last October, we answered a question from a reader asking when it is okay to buy a house that was updated without pulling necessary permits. (In some areas of [...]
Buying a Flipped House: Nightmare
Buying a flipped house: nightmare. This homebuyer discovered a host of expensive repairs right after moving into their new home. Buying a Flipped House: Nightmare Q: My question relates to buying a house that was flipped. I searched Ilyce’s website and only found articles for those who were flipping houses, not for buying what turns [...]
What Happens When a Seller Lies on a Disclosure?
What happens when a seller lies on a disclosure? This home buyer discovered damage they believe the sellers’ purposely failed to disclose. Q: When Do You Have Enough Evidence to Pursue a Seller Disclosure Case? We purchased a "remodeled" home early last year. We have recently discovered after doing some deep property cleaning that the [...]
How Do You Protect Yourself When Selling a House?
How do you protect yourself when selling a house? This home seller thinks a buyer might be taking advantage of them after a home inspection. Q: I would appreciate your advice on how a seller can protect themselves from being taken advantage of by a buyer. When I put my house up for sale, a [...]
I Bought a House With Problems Not Disclosed, Now What?
I bought a house with problems not disclosed, now what? This new homeowner found out about a major insurance claim for tornado damage after closing. Q: My husband and I bought a home two years ago and we had a multitude of problems. First, the real estate agent forgot to offer us a walk-thru until [...]
What Does a Home Inspector Do?
What does a home inspector do? This home seller thinks the requests a buyer made after the home inspection are unreasonable. Q: I enjoyed your column today in the Sunday Chicago Tribune. In your experience, have you come across buyers trying to use their home inspector to assert that there are many problems with a [...]