EPISODE 39 – [FSBO] – YOUR LAWYER & THE HOME INSPECTION

Selling your home yourself can save thousands of dollars in real estate commissions, but two parts of the process deserve extra attention: hiring the right real estate attorney and successfully navigating the home inspection.

In this episode of the Happy Homeowners Hub Podcast, Fred Turner explains why a qualified real estate attorney is one of the smartest investments a For Sale By Owner (FSBO) seller can make and how to handle the home inspection process without unnecessary stress.

Learn what an attorney does during the sale, how to choose the right one, what to expect from a home inspection, and how to negotiate repair requests while keeping your transaction moving toward a successful closing.

You'll also hear real-life stories, practical tips, and a little humor to help make the process easier and less intimidating.

Whether you're preparing to list your home or you're already under contract, this episode will help you avoid costly mistakes and negotiate with confidence.

In This Episode You'll Learn:

• Why every FSBO seller should hire an experienced real estate attorney

• What your attorney handles before and during closing

• Why every home inspection finds issues

• The difference between cosmetic, maintenance, and major repair items

• How to respond to buyer repair requests

• When offering a repair credit may make more sense than completing repairs

• The advantages of getting a pre-listing home inspection

• Tips for keeping negotiations professional and productive

• Common mistakes that can delay or derail a closing

Selling your home yourself doesn't mean doing everything yourself. Building the right professional team can save you time, money, and unnecessary stress.

Books available from Happy Homeowners Hub and sold on Amazon.com

For more details on these books, check out HappyHomeownersHub.com 

                       Click on the Amazon book links below

The Happy Homeowners Handbook for Navigating Property Claims

The Happy Homeowners Handbook For Navigating Water Damage Claims

The Happy Homeowners Property Claim Documentation Booklet 

The Happy Homeowners Handbook for First-Time Homebuyers 

The Happy Homeowners Handbook for Selling Your Home by Owner 

The Happy Homeowners Home Maintenance Journal 

The Happy Homeowners Helper (A Children's book to help with a move) 

SIGN-UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER

If you would like to receive my Newsletter, just go to my website HappyHomeownersHub.com, and fill out the “Contact Us” page and put the word NEWSLETTER in the message box.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

One of the key players you want on your FISBO team is a good and experienced attorney, not a friend of your cousin who is an injury lawyer and claims to have done a couple of real estate transactions in the past. You want someone with real estate experience who regularly deals with real estate closing transactions. This important team member will also assist you in handling the home inspection concessions and repair negotiations. You want an experienced and knowledgeable attorney on your side, one who can provide clarity, details, and options during the offer, the contract, the home inspection, as well as throughout the closing. This will be your head coach who will provide you the game plan to get you across the goal line. Welcome to the Happy Homeowners Hub Podcast, where we share real life stories and break down the lessons, mistakes, and wins that can save you time, money, and stress on navigating your property claim, buying your first home, selling your home by honor, and home maintenance and repair tips. I am your host, Fred Turner, and each week I'll guide you through these four topics. If you've been following this for sale by honor series, I hope you will find value in this podcast. Today we're talking about two things that can either make your closing go smoothly or increase your blood pressure. And this comes from chapter 6 of my book, The Have a Homeowner's Handbook for Selling Your Home by Owner. Today we're talking about your real estate attorney and the home inspection. If you understand how important an experienced and knowledgeable attorney is and how important the advice the attorney can provide after the home inspection, you'll avoid a lot of unnecessary stress. So grab your favorite beverage, settle in in a comfortable chair, and let's get started. One of the biggest mistakes people can make when selling their home by owner is trying to save a few hundred dollars by skipping a good attorney or hiring an inexperienced one. That decision can end up costing thousands and put you in a bad position at the closing table. Remember, you're probably selling one of the largest investments you'll ever own. This isn't time to search Google for cheap lawyer near me. You want someone who specializes in real estate transactions. That's a point that I emphasize in my book because an experienced attorney protects you before, during, and after the closing. Your attorney will usually help you with reviewing contracts, preparing legal documents, working with the title company, answering legal questions and providing options, coordinating the closing, and help to resolve unexpected issues. Think of your attorney, like the offensive line protecting the quarterback. If they're doing their job well, nobody notices. If they're not, everybody notices. Here's a real life story. Years ago, I knew of a seller who thought they could download contracts from the internet and handle everything themselves, just trying to save a few bucks. Everything looked fine until closing week. One paragraph of the paperwork conflicted with some other documents. Suddenly, everyone was scrambling. The buyers became nervous, the lender needed some additional clarification, and the closing was delayed. Moving trucks had already been scheduled, and the sellers had already packed up their kitchen into boxes. Imagine eating takeout pizza for four days in a row, because all your dishes were in boxes. Eventually, an attorney fixed everything, but had they hired one in the beginning, this issue would have never occurred and this highly stressful situation could have been avoided. Sometimes paying a professional is actually the cheapest decision you'll make. Here's what an attorney doesn't do. Your attorney isn't there to determine whether your home is worth the gasking price. Your attorney isn't there to tell you what your closing date should be. They're there for legal protection. Think of them as your safety net. Hopefully you'll never need it, but you'll sure be glad it's there if something unexpected happens. Now let's talk about the home inspection. For many sellers, this is the part they fear the most. You've accepted an offer and now you're celebrating. Maybe you've even started looking for your next house. Then the buyer schedules a home inspection. Cue the dramatic music. Here's something every seller needs to remember. Every house has issues, every single one. I've never seen a perfect inspection report, not even on a brand new home, not on a million-dollar home, not on a hundred-year-old farmhouse. Inspectors are trained to find things, that's literally their job. As I mentioned in my book, expect that the inspection report will identify items that will require additional discussion, concessions, or negotiations after the purchase price has already been agreed upon. Don't take the report personally. Sometimes sellers get offended. The inspector said my water heater is old. Well, I guess it is. He said my roof has wear. Well, it's 18 years old, I guess that's not breaking news. Try to separate emotion from facts. The inspection report isn't grading you as a homeowner, it's evaluating the condition of the house. Those two are very different things. There are three types of inspection items that you need to be looking at. Most inspection reports contain three different categories cosmetic items such as loose doorknobs, scuffed paint, sticky cabinet doors, small drywall cracks. These are usually inexpensive and expected. Maintenance items such as caulking around the tubs, cleaning gutters, replacing weather stripping, torn screens, or servicing the furnace. These are common homeowner maintenance issues. And then there's significant major items such as roof problems, foundation concerns, electrical hazards, plumbing leaks, or structural movement. These deserves serious discussion. Fortunately, most homes don't have a long list of major issues. So what happens next after the home inspection? The buyer receives the inspection report and then usually sends over a repair request. Now remember, just because they ask doesn't mean you automatically have to do it. You have choices. You can agree to repair everything, repair only some items, offer credit toward closing, also called a concession, reduce the selling price, or you can say no. As I explained in my book, if substantial issues are discovered and you choose to not repair them, another option is offering a concession so the buyer can address the repairs after the closing on his own. Now this becomes an additional negotiation. Here's another real life story. I remember hearing about one inspection where the buyer requested nearly 50 repairs. 50. The seller looked at the list and joked, I think they're trying to buy a brand new home. Most of these items were tiny. One loose outlet cover, missing doorstop, a squeaky hinge, a loose toilet paper holder, fairly minor things. By the time they removed all the minor cosmetic items, there were only three legitimate repair requests remaining. Both parties reached an agreement and the sale closed. Everyone was happy. Sometimes a long inspection report looks scary until you actually read the details carefully. Here's something that many experienced sellers do. They hire their own home inspector before putting their house on the market. This allows them to discover issues early, repair items before the buyer sees them, reduce any surprises, and increase the buyer's confidence. I mention this strategy in my book because I've seen sellers avoid stressful negotiations simply by fixing problems ahead of time. It's not required, but it can be a smart investment. Keep your emotions under control. Home selling can become emotional. You've made memories there, you've raised children there, you've celebrated birthdays there, maybe even survived your teenager learning to drive in that driveway. That alone deserves an award. When the inspection report comes back, stay calm, read it carefully, talk with your attorney, discuss it with trusted professionals, then make logical decisions, not emotional ones. One thing buyers appreciate is honesty. If there's an issue, discuss it. Don't disappear, don't become defensive, don't turn every conversation into an argument. Good communication and keeping calm keeps the transaction moving. Poor communication skills can kill a deal. Here's some final thoughts. Selling your home yourself doesn't mean doing everything yourself. It means managing the process while surrounding yourself with good, experienced professionals. Your attorney provides legal protection. Your home inspection provides valuable information. Neither one should scare you. Instead, think of them as tools that help everyone reach a successful closing. The better prepared you are, the smoother the journey becomes. If you're enjoying this series, you'll find even more detailed information in my book, The Happy Homeowners Handbook for Selling Your Home by Owner, available on Amazon.com. It walks you through the entire FISBO process step by step, helping you save thousands of dollars in real estate commissions while avoiding common mistakes. You can find more information about this book and all of my books at happyhomewownershub.com or check out the show notes for details. Don't forget to join the Happy Homeowners Hub newsletter. Simply visit HappyHomeownersHub.com, go to the contact us page and type the word newsletter in the message box. You'll receive home maintenance and repair tips, podcast updates, and exclusive content delivered right to your inbox each month. Here's the Happy Homeowners Hub Podcast Disclaimer. The information shared in this podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes and should not be considered legal, financial, insurance, or real estate advice. Every real estate transaction is unique and laws and regulations may vary by state and locality. Always consult with a qualified professional, such as a licensed attorney, real estate broker, lender, home inspection, or other appropriate expert before making decisions regarding your specific situation. The views expressed are based on my personal experience and are intended to help educate homeowners. Thank you for listening to the Happy Homeowners Hub podcast. If you found this episode helpful, share it with someone who is also thinking about selling their home by owner. The more you know, the more confident you feel, and that's how you become a happy homeowner with no regrets. My goal is to make your homeownership journey smoother, smarter, and way less stressful. I've got some great stories, practical tips, and expert insights coming up in future episodes, so stay tuned, and remember, your home is your biggest investment. Be smart from the start. Thanks again for listening. This is your host, Fred Turner, and I'll see you at the next episode. Have a blessed day. Goodbye.