Sheboygan Wisconsin (WI) Home Inspector Before You Write Your Offer

Before you even think about writing an offer...
Good Realtors will encourage you to have a Home Inspection. Home buyers who have
chosen to have a home inspection have avoided the 3rd common mistake during their
home purchasing process. There are some very important points to know regarding the
home inspection contingency. We are in no position to draft an offer to purchase or offer
any legal advice. The information presented on this page is to give you information you
should discuss with your Realtor or Attorney.

Click on any image to enlarge for readability.

The offer to Purchase Form Relating to Inspections and Testing

Step 1 - The Offer to Purchase
In the standard Wisconsin offer to purchase form (WB-11) there is some fine print to read
that will help you with your home inspection. Lines 97 through 114 defines the Home
Inspection and Testing.

Step 2 - The Home Inspection Contingency
The next step is to make the offer contingent on the home inspection. Lines 298 through
315 describes what is to be inspected, House, Entire Property, Etc. This section also
describes the time frame the home inspection must be completed. This is typically 7 to 15
days. It will also cover other important aspects if the home inspection uncovers any defects.
Your Realtor or Attorney will cover this in detail with you.

Step 3 - Addendum A (Additional Testing Contingency)
Do you want any additional testing of the property like Radon, Indoor Air Quality, Mold? This
was talked about in Step 1. If you do, you will need to include Addendum-A with your original
offer to purchase. Without this, the buyer does not have any right to take any samples from
the home including Air, Soil, Building Materials and/or Water.

But what happens when your home inspector discovers something that may require
additional testing? For example, during the home inspection, your home inspector discovers
"a black organic growth on the underside of the roof decking of undetermined nature" and
your offer to purchase did not include testing. The answer is "Not Much".

Good home inspectors have professional equipment that they routinely use during a home
inspection. However, home inspectors are prohibited by law from taking anything out of the
home for further evaluation unless the seller has agreed to it as part of the offer to
purchase. Home Inspections are not technically exhaustive and are limited to a visual
inspection of the property on the day of inspection.

Step 4 - Addendum B
This Addendum to the offer to purchase typically deals with Rural properties or properties
that may have a private or shared well, or a private sanitary system. We are certified to
meet the Well Water Contingency for water quality.

For more information, give us a call. We cannot offer legal advice since we're not attorneys
nor can we participate in writing an offer to purchase. We can give you examples of
situations that we have experienced with other clients.