Contingencies You Should Not Remove When Buying a Home

Roseville realtor offers strategies for home buyers

Roseville, Calif.- Our Roseville/Sacramento area housing market is very low on active listings. Although slightly better in the past few months it is clearly a strong seller’s market.

With fewer listings to choose form buyers are doing what they can to make their offers attractive. They are making significant over asking price offers, writing letters about why they should get the house and taking risks by removing contingencies.

Contingencies are conditions which must be met to finalize a real estate transaction. They are in the contract to protect the buyers and sellers. A contingency is an opportunity to cancel the sale if issues develop with the property and/or transaction process.

Removing or not including contingencies can make an offer more attractive to a seller but it can also leave the buyer unprotected. In certain situations, we will prepare an offer without some of the standard contingencies to meet the competition, but we have a strategy to deal with the increased risk and protect our buyer.

Here are the contingencies important to buyers.

Home Inspection

The home inspection is base and most critical contingency. The inspection is conducted by a neutral professional inspector to assess the major systems of the property. This will include electrical, plumbing, roofing, and structure. Without this contingency the buyer has no recourse on issues and problems with the house. This is also true for waving the buyers ability to request the seller to make repairs. This is an important secondary negotiation between the parties. Many sellers are now demanding “As Is” sales and buyer agreeing not to ask for repairs. Buyers may consider this but should never remove the inspection contingency.

Rural Properties: Well and Septic Systems

For properties where water is provided by a well and there is a septic system the contingency for inspecting should never be waived or removed from the purchase contract.

Wells and septic systems are vital elements of the property. Issues with these systems can be health related and expensive to fix. Septic system repairs can cost thousands of dollars to repair.

Appraisal

If the appraisal is waived the buyer is committed to pay the contract price. Lenders use the appraisal valuation to determine their loan amount and lead to a buyer paying more for the house than it appraises for and having to come up with more cash to close the sale. Do not waive this contingency without the advice of an experienced Realtor and unless you have the resources to cover the appraisal gap. With the contingency in place a low appraisal valuation can open a negotiation with the seller which can save the sale and reduce out-of-pocket expense.

Loan/Financing

This contingency makes the buyers offer dependent on being able to get a mortgage. If there is no loan contingency and the buyer is unable to secure financing, they may lose their deposit. The only time you want to remove this contingency is if you are paying cash for the home.

Julie Jalone – Magnum One Realty

If you or someone you know is considering buying, please feel free to contact me MagnumOne Realty office in Roseville at (916) 276-6883 and email at [email protected].

We specialize serving the needs of buyers and sellers of homes in the Roseville and Sacramento area including Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado, Sutter and Yuba counties.

DRE# 01418097