did anyone ever bring a contractor to see a house before you put an offer in?

as i posted previously, one of the houses we are looking at needs work and we are trying to figure out $$ and time.

has anyone ever brought a contractor to a house before they even made an offer? would a contractor even do this (for a free estimate)?

any insight is greatly appreciated!!!

thank you!!!

Re: did anyone ever bring a contractor to see a house before you put an offer in?

We did this, the contractor was our friend though. My DH and our friend saw the house one night after a significant drop in price. The house had such a weird layout - the stairs to the second floor were in the back bedroom - and we needed to know if the changes we wanted to make could be done and at what cost. We didn't want to make an offer if we couldn't even make the changes in order for the house to be livable for us. So, yes, I would recommend, but I don't know how it works with someone who is not your friend. Also, we knew the house had potential, but after our friend saw it, he said if we didn't make an offer, he was going to! That lit a fire and we made an offer that night and got the house. We closed at the end of May, started reno late July, finally moved in late November. Good luck to you!!

This is his company, in case you are interested:
Link

Message edited 1/24/2013 12:16:37 PM.

Re: did anyone ever bring a contractor to see a house before you put an offer in?

You can bring whoever you want to showings, assuming your agent is ok with it. But you always want to keep in mind that it's still the seller's home and be courteous and respectful of the people who are living there (if anyone). So a vacant home, I'd see no issue. If it's an occupied home, I would be careful about bringing in a contractor, especially if it's mostly cosmetic stuff you are looking to change, and not major renovations. A homeowner might be insulted, but if it was done in a low-key way, it would probably be fine.

I mean, I would tell the contractor in advance what you want to change, and then have him walk through the house and give you estimates later. I wouldn't announce he's a contractor and start pointing out everything you don't like and want to change, and have him quote you prices while the seller is present. Or if you want to do that, I would have your agent talk to the listing agent first and see if that would be ok with the seller. Good feelings on a house transaction go a long way!

I have had clients who have friends or family members who are contractors come look at a house for them, but in those cases, the house has been vacant OR it's been after they have an accepted offer (for example, at the home inspection phase). No one is committed until contracts are signed.

I realize you want to find out if the home would be affordable to you taking into account renovations you want to make. But keep in mind that the price may already reflect the condition of the home (e.g., if the windows are older, floors need to be re-done). So while it may be good for you to know what the costs will be for the work you want to do, it's not necessarily a negotiating tool for you, esp. if the work is taste-specific (updating kitchens and baths, for example) versus stuff that needs to be done asap.