Inspecting homes that have gone through foreclosure or which are being offered on a short sale basis is a tricky business. Very often, these homes have problems that are ‘hidden’ from the buyer, sometimes resulting from a malicious act on the part of the previous owner, who may have been looking to get ‘revenge’ on the bank, or from a general lack of maintenance, often due to the home sitting vacant for a long period of time.
At the same time, these transactions typically proceed along a faster track compared to traditional home sales, resulting in home inspections being rushed or skipped completely.
To help buyers obtain detailed assessments of the condition of these homes, Certified Home Inspections, based in Long Island, N.Y., is now offering inspections of short sale and foreclosed homes. These inspections provide detailed analysis of every part of the structure, including the foundation, roof, gutters, crawl space, basement, vents, plumbing and heating.
‘These inspections are challenging as there may be many hidden defects and damage," says Dominick Esposito, owner of Certified Home Inspections. ‘Inspection of these houses has to be done with extra care and attention. We tell buyers not to skip inspection of a foreclosed home.’
