Should I have home inspection done Before or After signing contract?

​I put in an offer on a property and am currently negotiating the terms. The home is still under construction (95% done). A flip of a home built in the early 1900’s. Needs to hook up electricals, order in appliances, build out closets, finish building a shower. Should I wait to have these items done before signing the contract (could take weeks) to give time for home inspector to inspect the property (and risk another buyer over bidding me), or just sign the contract and have the home inspector come when everything is done? I’m used to having home inspector come in before signing contract so that I can continue to negotiate the terms of the contact.

Guest User | 6 years and 7 months ago

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BKALLDAY | 6 years and 6 months ago

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Before. During and After

astoriahomeowner

in General Discussion 6 years and 6 months ago

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Clearly buying a home, for many, is like opening a restaurant. Most people are in over their heads.

How many violations does the building have? Every violation must be cleared before you can get permits.

Is their a lien on the house?

Is the title clean (might want a lawyer for this)?

Who did the renovation work? Do they do good work? Who are their references?

Who’s the Architect that worked on the project? An architect should design everything to code.

FYI, signing the contract doesn’t guarantee the house. The seller has to sign it, and everything has to be in order. (Usually the job for a real estate agent).

Typically a home is in livable condition when you buy it. That means, there is a working boiler, and bathrooms etc. This would make me very nervous.

vthatcher | 6 years and 7 months ago

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You can do an inspection before and after. Make sure your contract has these contingencies.

yudashasom | 6 years and 7 months ago

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I can’t take any more of this persons posts.

slopefarm | 6 years and 7 months ago

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To the above comments, I agree and add:

You absolutely need to have an inspection before you sign a contract. Since you are considering a house that is being worked on it is ESSENTIAL that your contract spell out exactly all of the items that must be completed, inspected and signed off before and as conditions to closing. That list will come from the inspector and you must prime the inspector for the fact that that is what you want. Add you must have a RE attorney who is equipped to negotiate this sort of thing because the seller will balk. And do NOT use an inspector recommended by the broker, not even by a buyer’s broker. You will be very sorry if you do not do this and take the risk of what you are undertaking here seriously.

resident2 | 6 years and 7 months ago

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Get a full time Real Estate attorney; preferably a House/building RE Attorney. Not an attorney that does estates & Parking violations & a bit of criminal, a divorce here & there and will write your will for you. Certainly not your roommate from College or your wife’s mother; a real full time Real Estate Attorney to review the contract and write in all the protections you will need….. the sellers Attorney may well object to a lot of it, but persist if you want the house.
Do an inspection now, before signing the contract. The inspector should certainly be able to let you know if things are being done correctly so far.
And remember everything anyone tells you is going to happen to the house should all be written into the contract. If they make excuses as to why it should not be in the contract…. walk away.

randolph | 6 years and 7 months ago

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Is this a joke?

If the electric isn’t hooked up but the walls are closed up I’d be very wary. Have they even passed their plumbing and electric inspections? How many open permits are there?

There are so many potential disasters waiting to happen here you 100% should have an inspection and also have someone look into Open permits, etc.

Good luck!