Get matched with top chimney inspectors in Friendship, ME

Several government-backed lending programs can help first-time home buyers purchase a home with little money down. FHA, USDA, and VA loans are options for qualifying borrowers, though many conventional mortgage lenders will lower down payment rates to as low as 3 percent.

A home inspector is only required to give a copy of their report to the party who hired them. This means that only a seller would receive a copy of a pre-listing inspection report, while only the buyer receives a report for pre-purchase home inspections. You can choose to share this report with the other party, but this isn’t a common practice. As a seller, you would typically only get a sense of the most significant inspection discoveries when you receive a request for repair from the buyer.

Removing your fireplace can lower your home’s overall value, but probably only slightly (around $1,000 to $5,000, on average). When deciding whether or not to remove your fireplace, weigh the benefits of removing your fireplace (less maintenance, more floor space) against the potential loss of value.

In most cases, the most severe issue a home inspection report could identify is a structural problem, specifically related to the foundation. Foundation repairs are often the most expensive and intrusive repairs to carry out, averaging around $5,000 but sometimes reaching up to $16,000. You should ask questions during your home inspection about all of the issues your home inspector identifies, but you’ll likely need to think most about foundation problems and how they affect what you’re willing to pay for the home—that’s if you’re willing to move forward with the sale at all.