The Story of the Home Inspection that Saved My Buyer Clients

Several years ago I was working with a couple who were first-time home buyers. The market was strongly favoring sellers at the time, and they unfortunately missed out on several listings. In every instance the final sales price escalated above their budget.

We then found a townhouse in Fairfax near the Vienna Metro station that had been completely renovated, and after touring it they were very excited about submitting an offer. We did -- on Christmas Day, no less!

Included in their offer was a home inspection contingency and these typically need to be conducted within 3-5 days of a ratified contract. (A ratified contract is when all parties agree to all of the terms that are in a contract which they then sign.)

The three of us were present for the home inspection, and I noticed the inspector began finding things that were a bit puzzling to him -- doors that wouldn't easily open and tiles that were popping off a shower wall in an upstairs bathroom.

The home inspector soon realized that when the main level was opened up, which created a popular "open concept" floor plan, a load-bearing wall had been removed. As a result, the lack of this supporting wall was causing stress on the remaining walls. In essence, they were slightly caving in. . .

The contractor had done the renovation without pulling any permits. If he had, he never would have been given permission to remove the load-bearing wall. If the building permit process had been followed, the townhouse would never have passed that County inspection.

Luckily, my clients had a home inspection contingency and were able to get out of the contract.

By the way, a buyer can get out of a ratified contract even if the reason isn't as egregious as this. They just need to have the home inspection done within the allotted timeframe, have the inspection done by a licensed inspector, and notify the seller by the specified date.

We soon found another listing where they now live to this day -- three children later!

Final note: even though I experienced this situation first-hand, there are times when I don't think a home inspection is absolutely necessary. Or, there are other ways to handle a home inspection that don't follow a "traditional" path. I'll be glad to discuss if you're ever interested.