Good REALTORS will encourage you to have a Home Inspection. Wisconsin home buyers who have chosen to have a home inspection have avoided the 3rd common mistake during their home purchasing process. There are some very important points to know regarding the home inspection contingency. We are in no position to draft an offer to purchase or offer any legal advice. The information presented on this page is to help you formulate questions you should discuss with your REALTOR or Attorney before proceeding with any Real Estate Transaction up to and including visiting open houses. Real Estate professionals are trained to walk you through the complicated process of purchasing your home and I would not consider purchasing a home without the help of a REALTOR. This in not a do-it-yourself process! You may also want to consider a Buyer's Agency to help you. If you don't have this type of agreement with a REALTOR, they are prohibited from giving you any advice that is not in the best interest of the Seller.

Sometimes things are discovered during a Wisconsin home inspection that are unknown in nature. Having a testing contingency as recommended by the inspector may be a good line to add into your offer to purchase. Below is an example of an offer to Purchase Form as it relates to Inspections and Testing. 

Step 1 - The Offer to Purchase:  In the standard Wisconsin offer to purchase form (WB-11) there is some fine print to read that will help you with your home inspection. Lines 97 through 114 defines the Home Inspection and Testing.

 Step 2 - The Home Inspection Contingency:  The next step is to make the offer contingent on the home inspection. Lines 298 through 315 describes what is to be inspected, House, Entire Property, Etc. This section also describes the time frame the home inspection must be completed. This is typically 10 to 15 days. It will also cover other important aspects if the home inspection uncovers any defects. Ask your REALTOR or Attorney what the process is when a defect or safety issue is discovered.

 

Step 3 - Addendum A (Additional Testing Contingency):  Do you want any additional testing of the property like Radon, Indoor Air Quality, Mold? This was talked about in Step 1. If you do, you will need to include Addendum-A with your original offer to purchase. Without this, the buyer, inspector, or any other agent does not have any right to take any samples from the home including Air, Soil, Building Materials and/or Water.

But what happens when your home inspector discovers something that may require additional testing? For example, during the home inspection, your home inspector discovers "a black organic growth on the underside of the roof decking of undetermined nature" and your offer to purchase did not include testing. The answer is "Not Much".

Good home inspectors have professional equipment that they routinely use during a home inspection. However, home inspectors are prohibited by law from taking anything out of the home for further evaluation unless the seller has agreed to it as part of the offer to purchase. Home Inspections are not technically exhaustive and are limited to a visual inspection of the operty on the day of inspection.

Step 4 - Addendum B: This Addendum to the offer to purchase typically deals with Rural properties or properties that may have a private or shared well, or a private sanitary system. We are certified to meet the Well Water Contingency for water quality. You will need to seek a master pluber, well driller, or pump installer to perform the well system check.

 

Conclusion: We hope this information has raised good questions for you to ask your REALTOR or attorney. They are the the trained and licensed professionals that can make sure you have the correct information when purchasing you home. We hope you consider hiring us when it is time for your home inspection. We Promise to do the best job for you and your family.