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Insist on Home Permit History

Find out as much as possible about a home before you buy, suggests Dian Hymer for Inman News.

Every savvy homebuyer knows to build in a contingency for inspection in every offer to buy a home. "Most buyers have a home inspected by a home and structural pest control ("termite") inspector." writes Hymer. "Additional inspections recommended, such as for roof or drainage, should also be done."

Insisting on these inspections, including written reports and repair estimates, can save a lot of surprises down the road and can be effective in negotiations with the sellers.

But, an often overlooked item you should consider when buying a house is to find out the permit history. This is not always an easy task and you could probably hire someone else to do this for you but, "one way or the other," says Hymer, "it should be done."

Ignoring this detail can result in problems.

"Several years ago, a buyer in the hills of Oakland, Calif., didn't check the permit history when she bought a home." says Hymer. "When she applied for a permit to do work on her house, she was denied because of outstanding permits taken out by the previous owner that hadn't received final approval."

The new owner had to go through the final inspections for the previous permit work and pay for necessary repairs to bring it up to code. She had to pay thousands of dollars before she was able to pull a permit for the work she wanted to do.

Also check to see if there are any outstanding fees still due on past permits. A little extra effort can save you a lot of headaches and surprises after closing.

Read the full story at Inman News.

photo credit: JillSparks1