The purchase contract has been negotiated and accepted. Now you need to inspect your investment to make sure you’re getting a fair deal.

The seller is required by California law to affirmatively disclose the condition of the house-including issues that are not clearly visible to the buyer, but are known to exist by the seller.

To protect yourself and your investment, however, you’ll want to arrange for a professional home inspection to examine the entire house-roof to foundation. A pest control inspection is usually required by the lender, as well.

The home inspection can turn up a list of minor and major issues. Deciding what gets fixed and who pays for the repairs is negotiable-and it can be a point of conflict. There are no hard and fast rules, so I advise my clients stay focused on their priorities. Together, we discuss strategies that will protect their interests while finding a fair way to close the deal.

Of course, if the issues are too large, or if the parties absolutely cannot agree, the deal can crumble.

This is when it’s especially important to have an agent that clearly understands your objectives and the demands on your time. You don’t want to lose the home of your dreams; on the other hand, you don’t want to be unrealistic about the cost or time required to make the repairs.

Discussing and negotiating the home inspection issues and closing procedures with your Realtor is a very important part of the sales process. I’ve worked through a number of these issues with my clients, so I understand the challenges you may face during these final steps.

You can reach me at (949) 552-1111.