What You Can't See, Can Hurt You!

I'm going to say it. You should not skip having a home inspection
when you are buying a property. I know it costs more money that you
feel you don't have but I'm sure you budgeted for this, right?A
professional home inspection is a vital part of the home buying
process. Unless you are a home inspector, you are going to miss
something. You're just not that good. You may think you're checking
all the nooks and crannies but there is going to be something that you
can't see.I almost got trapped into buying a condo that was full of
black mold. I originally went in to inspect it myself. It smelled a
little musty but I thought nothing of it because it was a vacant unit.
I noticed a little mold on the kitchen wall above the counter. I
thought, "No worries. I can take care of that after I move in."Well on
the day of my home inspection, the home inspector spotted the same
moldy spot in the kitchen. The only difference is that he went a
little further. He did something that I should have done but didn't
even think to do. I was a newbie to the home buying game at that
point. He moved the stove out of the way. Well guess what, that little
bit of mold turned into a WHOLE LOT of mold. It was covering the
entire wall behind the stove. Keep in mind, that's just the mold that
we could see. Upon closer inspection, it was also rotting away the
wooden back splash and where the counter tops butted up against the
wall. We also found more behind the refrigerator and in the closet
with the A/C handler.Needless to say, the owner of the property never
mentioned this to me or my Realtor. Also needless to say, I did not
buy that property. I promptly canceled the contract and got my deposit
back. That would have required AT LEAST an entire kitchen remodel and
who knows how much dry wall to be replaced. There is no way to tell
how far the mold has spread without ripping out drywall, piece by
piece, and checking. So, on to the next property!That's a true story.
It happened to me about 4 months ago. It goes to show you that what
you can't see CAN hurt you! Get a professional home inspection!