What should come with a house when you buy it
When a house changes hands, a lot of what is known about that house disappears with the prior owner, and the new owner is left to learn it all over again. Who serviced the furnace? Which wall has the water shutoff behind it? Was the roof replaced or patched? Lyle tries to change all of that, making maintaining your home and the passing of a home from one family to the next a seamless and less stressful experience.
The National Association of Realtors publishes a handoff checklist for sellers, and it works for buyers in reverse. It asks sellers to pass along the manuals and warranties for the appliances and the heating and cooling systems, and to note which warranties transfer. It also asks for the installation date and service schedule of the HVAC, the utility contacts, and the names of the local people who've worked on the house. And as helpful as that list is, it's a LOT of work. We built Lyle to help make that work seamless, natural, and simple.
What to ask for
Ask for these before closing, in writing, so the request is part of the deal.
- Every manual and warranty for the appliances, the furnace, the air conditioner and the water heater. Note which warranties transfer. Some transfer only if the maker is told within a set time after the sale.
- Service records, meaning who did the work, when, and what they found.
- The age and model of the big systems. A photo of each nameplate is enough. A furnace lasts 15 to 25 years and an asphalt shingle roof 20 to 30, by the inspectors' association InterNACHI's chart.
- Permits for any work that needed one. Unpermitted work becomes the new owner's problem.
- Paint colors and where they were bought, and the sources for flooring, tile and fixtures. Spare tiles and shingles if the seller has them.
- Where the main water valve, the gas valve, the electrical panel and the irrigation controller are.
- The names and numbers of the people who've worked on the house.
How to ask
Put the list in the offer or in the inspection response. Sellers who have the papers will hand them over, and sellers who don't will say so. Ask the inspector to photograph every nameplate. At the final walk-through, the NAR's checklist for new owners says to have copies of paid bills and warranties in hand.
Where it goes
Lyle keeps the house's history in one place. Contractors can add to it, and it goes to the next owner when you sell. Members hand Lyle the papers once, by photo or upload.