Wand’ring Thru Wayne & Pike County PA

Be Ruled by Caveat Emptor - Let The Buyer Beware - 2Tips4-2sDay

What the heck is caveat emptor? It is a Latin phrase which implies that the buyer in a transaction is responsible to make sure that what they are purchasing is in good condition. In a real estate transaction, sellers must disclose known issues & material facts (something that may cause a buyer to reconsider purchasing a property or that may affect the value of the home) in the Seller’s Disclosure. But some things that will cause annoyance later may still crop up, even after a home inspection. Hope you find this edition of 2Tips4-2sDay helpful.

• Look behind pictures, wall hangings, and furniture for holes in the walls. Home inspectors are probably not going to look behind photographs and furniture - and actually, most buyers probably don’t.Sellers aren’t going to volunteer “Hey, we have six holes in the living room drywall, just so you know…” At some point you should peek behind sofas, dressers, pictures, and other items that could be hiding “accidents” of days gone by. If there a large flat panel TV mounted to the wall (or anything mounted to the wall that sellers are taking with them) you may want to consider asking them to make sure any holes are patched/repaired by a contractor.
• Check in closets for problems. No, not to see if there are any skeletons hiding there - but check the walls of closets for dampness, mildew, or mold. When my husband and I purchased our home, we did not do this (nor did we check to see if the furniture was strategically placed to hide holes…) We had semi-major issues with mold; had we checked more thoroughly beforehand we may have been able to negotiate a lower price. This will probably be checked by your home inspector, but just in case - check in those “secret” places.

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Contact me about Lake Wallenpaupack, Pike County, and Wayne County real estate. I work in Hawley, Honesdale, Greeley, Lake Ariel, Lackawaxen, Hamlin, Tafton - well, you get the idea!