The home inspection went well this past Wednesday, but revealed a few items that need to be fixed.

Most of them are trivial, but my inspector did discover a section of water-damaged siding on the second story.

The damage has been caused by water running off an upper roof that could’ve been prevented by installation of a gutter/downspout on the upper roof at minimal cost.

Because that gutter and downspout are not required by the building code, we didn’t ask the seller to install them, but we did ask the seller to replace the damaged siding.

My buyer is using FHA financing (FHA appraisals are stringent), so this could become a repair that’s required by the appraiser.

It will be interesting to see if the appraiser catches it, but the seller will replace it regardless.

Another issue was a small area of cupped hardwood flooring near a first-story bathroom, caused by a recent overflowing toilet.

We didn’t ask the seller to refinish that area because it adjoins a large area of hardwood and it would be difficult (if not impossible) to refinish the area to match, plus we expect the hardwood to “lie down” over time.

The (dirty) furnace will also need to be serviced by a licensed HVAC contractor.

Thankfully, the crawlspace was completely dry ~ a rarity in our area!

We have successfully negotiated the repairs and ordered the appraisal, which should be completed this week.

Because both seller and buyer are eager to close quickly, we have also changed our closing date from March 15^th to February 28^th.

This will be tight, but we should be able to make it.

(stay tuned for Part IV)