Real Estate Sales, Buyers’ Home Inspections, and “The First Law of Holes”

Doubling Down on DIY (“Do It Yourself”)

“First law of holes: ‘if you find yourself in a hole . . . stop digging.'”

–Adage.

One of the more interesting inspections I’ve handled recently involved a Minnetonka home Seller (I represented the Buyer) who clearly was unacquainted with the “first law of holes.”

Namely, “when you find yourself in one . . . stop digging!

Inspection Issues

So, while the 1950’s rambler was in overall good condition and basically inspected fine, the report did flag a pattern of, shall we say, “amateurish” plumbing and electrical repairs — clearly done by none other than the Seller himself.

When my client raised their concerns with the Seller, after documenting same, what do you suppose their response was?

“No problem, I’ll fix it!”

Umm, no thanks.

After contractually stipulating that the repairs were to be done by a licensed electrician and plumber, respectively — with documentation of same to be provided to the Buyer — the Buyer agreed to remove their Inspection Contingency, and the deal progressed to a smooth closing.



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