Pre-Inspection Red Flag?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP- is this your first home? I agree foundation issues are concerning, but I also know that home inspectors are not necessarily experts. You are paying them to find problems. Many are good, but miss massive defects or can overstate others. Why don’t you just ask the listing agent? Whenever we have looked at homes, our agent will just ask the listing agent to see what they say. I live in VA, so no experience with MD, but not wanting to know what a potential buyer’s inspection finds pretty much real estate 101. Agent is just looking out for her clients, especially since you aren’t even in a contractual relationship. We’ve sold multiple homes. Every house has issues but no salesperson will tell you to emphasize the negatives. If you’re uncomfortable, just pass.

OP here. We have bought/sold several homes. I said towards the beginning of this thread that we were not putting in an offer and had no regrets. I get that sellers don't want to know what a buyer's inspection finds, but it's a different story if they already know and are trying to hide the issue instead of disclosing it (which is a possibility here based on several factors, but can't say will certainty).

meant to say "can't say WITH certainty"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP- is this your first home? I agree foundation issues are concerning, but I also know that home inspectors are not necessarily experts. You are paying them to find problems. Many are good, but miss massive defects or can overstate others. Why don’t you just ask the listing agent? Whenever we have looked at homes, our agent will just ask the listing agent to see what they say. I live in VA, so no experience with MD, but not wanting to know what a potential buyer’s inspection finds pretty much real estate 101. Agent is just looking out for her clients, especially since you aren’t even in a contractual relationship. We’ve sold multiple homes. Every house has issues but no salesperson will tell you to emphasize the negatives. If you’re uncomfortable, just pass.

OP here. We have bought/sold several homes. I said towards the beginning of this thread that we were not putting in an offer and had no regrets. I get that sellers don't want to know what a buyer's inspection finds, but it's a different story if they already know and are trying to hide the issue instead of disclosing it (which is a possibility here based on several factors, but can't say will certainty).

But why would they disclose? I live in VA - it’s a buyer beware state. Also have a house in DE, which mandates disclosures. I would not offer up all the info we give in DE for a sale in VA. I’m confused why you expect that to happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP- is this your first home? I agree foundation issues are concerning, but I also know that home inspectors are not necessarily experts. You are paying them to find problems. Many are good, but miss massive defects or can overstate others. Why don’t you just ask the listing agent? Whenever we have looked at homes, our agent will just ask the listing agent to see what they say. I live in VA, so no experience with MD, but not wanting to know what a potential buyer’s inspection finds pretty much real estate 101. Agent is just looking out for her clients, especially since you aren’t even in a contractual relationship. We’ve sold multiple homes. Every house has issues but no salesperson will tell you to emphasize the negatives. If you’re uncomfortable, just pass.

OP here. We have bought/sold several homes. I said towards the beginning of this thread that we were not putting in an offer and had no regrets. I get that sellers don't want to know what a buyer's inspection finds, but it's a different story if they already know and are trying to hide the issue instead of disclosing it (which is a possibility here based on several factors, but can't say will certainty).

But why would they disclose? I live in VA - it’s a buyer beware state. Also have a house in DE, which mandates disclosures. I would not offer up all the info we give in DE for a sale in VA. I’m confused why you expect that to happen.

See here for info regarding Maryland disclosure law. It appears that even if you disclaim, you would need to disclose latent defects (such as an issue with the foundation).

https://www.msevanslaw.com/what-happens-when-home-sellers-fail-to-disclose-defects-in-maryland/

https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/selling-maryland-home-what-are-my-disclosure-obligations.html

https://codes.findlaw.com/md/real-property/md-code-real-prop-sect-10-702.html