A few days ago, Quality Residential Inspections and I happened to be performing a Raleigh Home Inspection where I was shown some printed advertising material regarding the home. What caught the eye of this Raleigh Inspector was a stated claim that the exterior of the home had been “meticulously maintained”. This was a statement, in writing, that was held out to the public and any potential buyer as a representation of the “quality” of the home. It was there right along with other marketing exclamations such as “Absolutely Stunning!” and “This One You Don’t Want To Miss!”.

The fact of the matter is that the the home was not exactly “stunning” although it had no major structural or mechanical issues and may very have been of reasonable value if all things were to be considered. The exterior of the home, most precisely and pointedly though, had not been “meticulously maintained.

This siding was represented as having been "Meticulously Maintained"

The hardboard siding, which is a particular type of exterior wall cladding that has had its fair share of issues in the past and one that we Home Inspectors routinely determine and report to be in poor condition, was in awful shape. It was severely decayed around windows and doors,  it was soft and decayed at siding “butt” joints where siding ends meet and at bottom edges, and had been so generally and poorly maintained that it was in need of being replaced…and at considerable expense, I might add.

The Raleigh Inspector thinks that this siding has not been so meticulously maintained, eh?

When the very poor general condition of the siding was brought attention and pointed out to those present, it was suggested that the condition was one of cosmetics rather than of any structural/mechanical issue, to which my reply was “Well, Not exactly…”.

Our clients, the home-buyers, were really terrific people…they did not, however, know how to identify deficient hardboard siding (or of just how expensive it can be to replace it) and had been fully reliant on the representations of the selling party. Had they not been so wise as to have hired Quality Residential Inspections  to accomplish a Home Inspection for them, they might well have taken ownership of that “meticulously maintained” exterior to the surprising tune of many thousands of future dollars in unanticipated replacement expenditures…meaning that they would have had to dig deep into the pockets and fork over a goodly sum of money to make the repairs. Not a happy thought.

While this was certainly not my first encountered occasion where the “qualities” of a home have been grossly misrepresented and over-exaggerated it did get me to thinking about just how often a home is misrepresented and about just how important it is for a home-buyer to know all that can be reasonably known about the physical condition of the home before they purchase that home.

The fact is that that many aspects of a home can be mis-represented… and not even intentionally so. Having a complete, thorough Home Inspection can go a long way toward making sure that the home is as it is being represented… and prudent home-buyer will always, as part of their due diligence, attain the services of a professional Home Inspector.

When a home is represented as having a super-duper Balcony View, and that the patio furniture conveys, you would do well to make sure that those statements cannot be classified as misleading. You want to make sure that you are purchasing a home that is right for you.

Is This Your Idea Of A Balcony View? Quality Residential Inspections Can Help You To Purchase The Home That Is Right For You...Or Help You Avoid One That Isn't...

Call Quality Residential Inspection and Schedule Your Home Inspection today…speak to a real, live person when you call 919-848-4833. Or, for your convenience, you can you can begin to Schedule Your Home Inspection right here on our website.

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