Buying Your First Home in Twinsburg? Read the City's Exterior Report, Then Get Your Own Inspection

A few weeks ago we wrote about Twinsburg's point-of-sale inspection from the seller's side. This one is for buyers, especially first-time buyers, because the city's report can be confusing if you've never seen one.

Here's the short version. Twinsburg inspects the outside of a home before it sells. It doesn't look inside. And if the inspector finds problems, the city says they can be "corrected or assumed prior to closing." That word "assumed" is the one I want you to understand before you sign anything.

What the city checks, and what it doesn't

According to the city's Housing and Point of Sale page, Twinsburg runs an exterior-only inspection using sections 302, 303 and 304 of the International Property Maintenance Code. In plain English, that covers the outside of the property, like drainage, walks, driveways and accessory structures; pools and hot tubs and their barriers; and the exterior of the house itself, like the roof, gutters, siding, windows, doors, steps, decks and railings. The city asks you to allow five to seven business days for an inspection or re-inspection.

What it doesn't cover is everything you can't see from the yard: the furnace and air conditioning, the electrical panel, plumbing, water in the basement and the attic. A clean city report means the outside met the city's standard on the day it was inspected. It says nothing about the inside.

Your own inspection still matters most

When I teach my class for agents on working with buyers, I spend time on the inspections section of the purchase agreement. My advice to agents is to strongly encourage buyers to get inspections, and if a buyer decides not to, to have them sign something saying so.

For a first-time buyer in Twinsburg, I'd go further: keep your inspection contingency. The city covers the exterior. Your inspector covers the house you're actually going to live in.

What "assuming violations" really means

If the city's report lists violations and the seller doesn't fix them before closing, the buyer can agree to take them on. That's what assuming means. You close on the house, and the repair obligation becomes yours.

The details vary from city to city. Some require the buyer to sign paperwork and finish repairs within a set number of days. Others require money held in escrow until the work is done. Twinsburg's specific paperwork, deadlines and any escrow requirement are worth confirming directly with the city's housing inspectors before you agree to anything.

Fix, credit or assume

For a first-time buyer with limited cash after closing, my preference is usually one of two things:

• The seller fixes it before closing, with a re-inspection so it's documented.
• The price or a credit reflects the work, and you have a real contractor estimate in hand, not a guess.

Assuming violations isn't automatically bad. A cracked walkway or peeling trim can be a reasonable trade for a better price. Just know the deadline, the cost and who's doing the work before you sign. And remember that the money you'd spend on exterior repairs is money you won't have for the first surprise inside the house.

Budget for what you assume

If you do agree to take on exterior violations, treat them like any other repair you're buying. Get a written estimate from a contractor before you sign, add a cushion for surprises, and know whether the work has to be done before winter or by a specific date. Exterior work like concrete, roofing and painting can be harder to schedule, and sometimes harder to do at all, once the weather turns.

Also ask what happens if the work isn't done on time. Knowing the consequences up front helps you decide whether assuming the repairs is really worth the savings.

A simple order of operations

1. Ask for the city's point-of-sale report as early as you can.
2. Schedule your own inspection inside your contingency period.
3. Compare the two lists. Anything on the city list is a known cost.
4. Decide fix, credit or assume, and get it in writing.

Questions first-time buyers ask

Who orders the city inspection? Usually the seller, as part of getting the home ready to sell. Ask your agent for a copy as soon as it's available.

Can a home sell with open violations? Yes, if they're corrected or assumed before closing, under the city's process.

Does a clean city report mean I can skip my inspection? No. The city never looked inside, and the inside is where the expensive surprises usually are.

Starting your search in Twinsburg?

Twinsburg is a great place to land a first home, with easy highway access and a strong sense of community. If you're starting your search here, we'll walk you through the city report and your own inspection side by side. Schedule a time with me or someone on our team at 21mike.com.

Mike Ferrante
The Mike Team at LPT Realty
www.21mike.com
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