My wife and I have been looking to make the move to Montgomery County onto some acreage, in a neighborhood with good schools, planning on staying for a minimum of 10-20 years. We are pretty picky so have been hunting for a long time (3+ years), and have narrowed our search to a couple of neighborhoods.

At the beginning of June, what appeared to be the ideal lot/house in our price range ($1MM) hit the market and we quickly got it under contract. I knew that in addition to the general inspection, I would need stucco, pool and septic inspections. When we got the inspections back, there were ongoing moisture issues with the stucco, requiring an estimated $15k in repair based on the inspection report, total extent of repairs TBD. Every system associated with the house, save for the foundation and new roof, had major concerns (HVAC, pool, septic, electrical, windows failing, ongoing water leak/moisture issues in walls of the garage, none of the appliances functioning, etc.). The inspection report was 100 pages long with the issues.

The sellers got increasingly sketchy. First, their Disclosures claimed no knowledge of any issues with any part of the house. Not a one. They refused our request for a 10 day option period to accommodate the inspections/repair estimates and insisted on 7 days only. They insisted on closing in less than 30 days. When we got the inspection reports back, the seller's agent requested our agent not forward the reports. We requested that the stucco repairs be completed prior to close so that we would know the extent of damages. The sellers refused, offering only $8k in concessions and no repairs before close. They offered no concessions on any other aspect of the home, claiming all of those issues were already built into the list price- all those issues that were not mentioned anywhere in their disclosures. They again instructed our agent not to send the inspection reports, but I insisted we do that any way, so our agent sent it on the last day of the option period. Even with the reports, the sellers refused to make repairs or increase their concessions or extend the option period. We therefore exercised our option to cancel the contract.

Fast forward two weeks, and they relisted the house today through the same agent for $60k more than when we had it under contract. No disclosures are attached to the listing and there's no way they made repairs. What are the chances they don't disclose our inspection reports to the next buyer?

Thanks. My head tells me the same thing. Admittedly, we got pretty attached to the property and part of me is just pissed that we missed out on what appears to be a great opportunity despite the warts due to some unreasonable people of questionable ethics. Not to mentioned the wasted time and money.

I cannot imagine any other buyer seeing the inspection reports and buying at that price and without repairs. I don't want them to be able to screw over another couple. Is it common for sellers agents to request buyers agents not provide the inspection report(s)?

That sucks, I had never thought of that scenario. My inspector was meticulous but did not invent problems. Some stuff was nitpicky but missing gfci protection on outdoor kitchen or diseased trees too close to the house aren't make or break issues. Broken pool heater, chiller, lights, pump and failing plaster are real and expensive concerns. Elevated moisture and/or failing substrate at 16 of 40 stucco sample locations are real and potentially expensive problems.

And we got multiple bids from potential stucco contractors, and they were in agreement on scope and reasonable on price I thought.

Struggled with this general dilemma as an inspector on ****show houses over the years. End of the day, I saved my clients from buying it. I know the sellers and listing agents would not change their behavior or disclose. But really, what can I reasonably do?

There are a lot of house back on the market "because the buyer financing fell through" that have nothing to do with that.

But there really isn't a reasonable way to police this.


I even had one that the seller hired another inspector ( crappy inspector) to try and contest all my findings. Sent the report to my client. She sent it to me. It was hilarious.

End of the day, be glad you had a good inspector and avoided the money pit.

I wouldn't worry about the agent not wanting the inspection report. That's pretty common and IMHO defendable.

THe rest.... Sound to me like they are just hardnosed. If you want the house buy it. If not walk away.

It is also possible that all the issues ARE worked into the price. I have never seen anything that makes me have much faith in disclosure.

Sounds like you got "lucky" by doing your due diligence and avoided a problem house.

Absolute said:

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There are a lot of house back on the market "because the buyer financing fell through" that have nothing to do with that.

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Same thing happened with this property before we got our contract in place. For all we know, the previous buyers' inspection came back negative and wasn't shared with us.

OR it's a time for a buyer to have the property inspected by a reliable, qualified, reputable inspector to determine whether the repairs needed are significant enough either warrant 1) walking away or 2) further negotiations for a price concession because of needed repairs.

Sellers asking top dollar for a property that is in need of repairs need to be realistic and understand that unless their property is in practically perfect condition, someone might ask for a price concession .

Repeat your original offer and attach the old inspection report.

The problem is, it's rarely about price and always about "getting my clients a good deal". Sellers could have listed the place 20% less and theyd still have the same shenanigans to deal with after inspections. Buyers and their agents use the system to to apply as much pressure as possible.

Great point.

Sellers agents actively seeking to sign backup offers would do a lot to keep buyers honest as well.

Mas89 said:

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In the 3 years you have been house hunting, you could have built a new custom home exactly like you want.
With no stucco. Do it. All knew everything. No repairs or what ifs needed.

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True. That's the benefit of hindsight.

Never rely on the Seller's Disclosure-it's mere information in the purchase process. Have a reputable inspector perform the inspection. Focus more on the major items: foundation, roof, electrical, hvac, etc. Make your decision based on your report. Lots of Sellers don't want to make repairs and simply adjust price. If they don't adjust to your liking, move on. Don't become too invested in a property until it's yours.

The don't provide me the inspection is somewhat common these days since Buyers may be trying to hammer the price down. I don't have a big problem when the Seller agent asks not to provide inspection. Just as often they just want to know where you want to be on price after the inspection.

If the deal sounds fishy, walk away. Shady realtors are usually found out sooner or later.

Had a similar situation. Looked at a house and had a structural engineer inspect it. Major foundation issue requiring 16 piers. I backed out. Seller relisted and it went pending in a week and closed for full listing price. I am sure they didn't disclose anything. Buyer beware and shame on people for buying junk at top market and not even getting proper inspections done. They create trouble for the rest of us.

I sold a house 4 years ago where the buyers inspection listed dozens of items as code violations. I happen to deal with these same codes in my job and know they were not code requirements when the house was constructed. I maked as such on the inspection report and sent it back to them.

If I'm so factually incorrect about stating code violations that require repairs in my job, I'd be sued in short order, but for some reason inspectors get to do it every day with impunity. IMO, this is a big problem in the market today just as the poster mentioned above. People claiming code violations that are not code violations causing financial burdens on the accused should be accountable for the harm they cause.

But that still falls on the agents to do the right thing. I got denied a showing because the new buyers were "about to turn in the EM"

Also, I stress the importance of OM and how that shows seriousness. I'm not decades of being long in the tooth in this job, but it's pretty easy to do the right thing

So, after 3 years of searching, what made this place THE place worthy of your first offer? Price had nothing to do with it?

It took us two full years to find our current home. We had a list of things we wanted in a home that was difficult to find in the area(s) we wanted. I could buy a three year search if they were being particular.

As said if you are that particular then you should build and get exactly what you want. Most hate building but there are some that like the process.

Or you can be patient in your search. If you want to live in a particular area building might not be a reasonable option. There are a ton of reasons why being patient in your church might be more attractive than choosing to build a home, even if it is exactly what you want.

The inspection report will contain boiler plate statements at the beginning highlighting that they inspect properties to current code. It's not required to bring the house up to current code unless major renovations were done on that particular part of the house.

It's just not feasible for an inspector to research exactly was/wasn't code at any particular time.

The agent(s) should have explained this to you all.

Mas89 said:

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In the 3 years you have been house hunting, you could have built a new custom home exactly like you want.
With no stucco. Do it. All new everything. No repairs or what ifs needed.

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And within 3 years the house would likely have the same stucco issues and other problems similar to the report