Beauty May Be Skin Deep

The names have been changed to protect the privacy of the parties involved

Real estate agent Mary takes the Browns to see a brand new home all shiny and bright. Mary and the Browns walk up the walk by a meticulously manicured lawn, a freshly polished front door and inside it was the same, the walls pristine with their fresh paint, wood floors reflecting their image back to them, appliances with not a sign of a smudge. All through the house it smelled like only a new home can and they were instantly in love. 

The Browns tell Mary, lets write a contract on it right now, we love it! Mary is excited too! Yes let's get it under contract! The offer price is decided, the closing date penned in, The Browns have already received their loan approval and qualify for the amount of the purchase price and they are ready to close asap. This is a dream come true. Or is it? In this case Beauty May Be Only Skin Deep.

The Browns decide, even though Mary pleaded with them to have a licensed home inspector check the home, They want to waive the contingency to have an inspection. Thanks for the advice, but no thanks they tell Mary. It is a new home, no reason to spend the money to hire a home inspector, besides the builder has a 1 year (limited warranty) warranty on the home. Mary tells them she doesn't agree with their decision but it is their decision and checks the box to waive the inspection.  Mary had pointed out all the reasons why they should have the inspection and they just want to get the show on the road! They are just looking forward to a speedy closing date and the keys to their brand new home.

Months later the phone rings and a hysterical Mrs. Brown calls screaming at the Mary. WE CALLED IN A CONTRACTOR TO GIVE US A BID ON ADDING TWO BEDROOMS UPSTAIRS IN THE ATTIC AND HE SAYS HE WOULDN'T TOUCH OUR HOME WITH A TEN FOOT POLE. HE DOESN'T WANT TO BE THE BEARER OF BAD NEWS BUT WE ARE LIVING IN HOUSE THAT IS BUILT WITH "STRAW" AND HE SAYS IT COULD FALL DOWN IN A GOOD WIND STORM! WHAT DO WE DO? We called the builder and he promised to send someone over and we haven't seen anyone yet and we've called everyday for two weeks now and he won't answer and won't call us back, we've left message after message.

Agent swallows the words she would like to say " You should have listened to me and hired a home inspector!" and says instead: I am so very sorry but there is nothing you can do since you waived the right to a professional opinion as to the condition of the structure.  Your builders warranty is out of date. It should have been caught by the building inspector, but obviously it wasn't. I'm truly sorry but you need an attorney at this point.

Moral Of The Story

 Beauty May Only Be Skin Deep you see. You can't go by how something looks on the surface to determine the strength of it's foundation. This is not a lesson you want to learn from experience.

 No matter what price range the home is in,what age the home is, or how pretty it looks on the surface. Cosmetic details are inexpensive and they often lure buyers into thinking it is not necessary to inspect.It's what is underneath the skin that  determines it's value. Hire a professional home inspector every time!

 The End