diagnosed that the house had termites — which can be very destructive to homes. To make matters even worse, the exterminator discovered that there was an infestation underneath the bathroom, as well as the other two bathrooms, and the infestation was spreading. To fix this nightmare, the couple had to fork over $12,000. Th e home didn’t feel like such a steal of a deal anymore. Key Takeaway: Always, always have a home inspected if you’re seriously considering making the purchase. You need to know for yourself the property’s condition. You never know what a seller or listing agent could be overlooking or even hiding. Don’t rely on their home inspection report — get your own done by hiring a qua lifi ed home inspector. You could save yourself from making a big mistake and from having expensive repairs done later. SELLER'S AGENT OR BUYER'S AGENT? Sue and her fi ancé were searching for their fir st home, intending to make the purchase before the wedding. Th ey were referred to a great real estate agent in the city where they planned to move, so they contacted him. What the couple failed to check out was that this agent normally worked with sellers, not buyers; the only praise Sue and her fi ancé heard was from clients who had hired him to sell their homes. When the couple met with the agent, he had a few diff erent homes on his list, but couldn’t stop prattling on about this one particular home, so they agreed to look at it. Right away, red fl ags and warning bells went o ff — the basement doorway was weak, the upstairs bathroom fl oor bounced, the light switches would pop and fli cker, etc. Th e couple, who knew quality 69
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