As a service to PMAR members, the PMAR Brokerage Risk Management Committee, in conjunction with PMAR legal counsel Phil Querin, has developed this Inspections Advisory Brochure for Homebuyers.

The intent of the Brochure is to encourage a discussion between agents and their clients about inspections and verifications. The Advisory contains a place for Realtors® to attach their business card, and may be given to clients who are considering making an offer to purchase a particular property. The Brochure makes clear that Realtors® are not licensed to perform specialized inspections or other technical services; encourages buyers to consult their own experts; and, recommends that they make any purchase only after resolution of any questions about a particular property. Principal brokers may find this Advisory to be a useful risk management tool for their agents’ use in standard residential purchase transactions.

This Advisory Brochure is copyrighted by PMAR, and is only made available to members in pdf format. You may download the Brochure from PMAR’s website, www.pmar.org/inspections. If you choose to adapt or alter the Brochure for your own company, please note that PMAR disclaims any responsibility for the contents of any altered document; PMAR does not endorse any altered documents; and “PMAR” or the “Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors®” cannot appear on the altered document. PMAR is not giving up its copyright, so the user should use caution in copying the contents of the Brochure, verbatim, into their own document.

If you have comments or concerns about the Advisory Brochure, please contact PMAR at 503-228-6595.

ATTN: PMAR MEMBERSImportant information about the Inspections Advisory Brochure

AdvISoRYInspections and verifications for Homebuyers

150 SW Harrison St., Suite #200 Portland, oregon 97201

(503) 228-6595www.pmar.org

© copyright PMAR May 2015

Attach business card here

As part of a national professional organization, PMAR’s 6,600+ members are committed to pro-tecting and promoting private ownership of real property, establishing and maintaining high profes-sional standards of practice and creating unity in the real estate profession.

This Brochure is intended to assist the homebuyer in identifying a number of common areas of concern when purchasing a home. It is not an all-inclusive list and does not take the place of the homebuyer’s own diligent investigation and professional inspections of the property.

If the homebuyer has identified a particular property of interest, then this Advisory may serve as a guide for identifying desirable inspections and verifications.

Realtors® are trained and licensed to assist in the purchase of a home. However, a Realtor® is not licensed to perform inspections, give legal advice, conduct surveys, provide tax information, or furnish the other specialized services that are identified in this Advisory. Homebuyers should always consult an expert who specializes in those areas of concern before making a final decision to purchase a home.

The homebuyer is advised to make the purchase of any property subject to satisfactory resolution of any questions about the particular property.

PRoPERTY oR dWEllINg INSPECTIoNS

PRIvATE WATER WEll

HoME WARRANTIES

vERIfICATIoNS

●full Home Inspectionother Inspections to Consider:

●Asbestos ●Electrical System ●Exterior Siding ●fireplace/Chimney ●Heating/Cooling ●lead Based Paint ●Pest & dry Rot ●Plumbing System ●Radon/Air Quality Test ●Roof ●Septic System/Sewer lines/“Party” Sewer

Systems ●Soil Stability ●Structural (Engineering) ●Underground Storage Tank ●Water Related damage (e.g. mold) ●Woodstove/fireplace Inserts (certified:

dEQ or EPA label)

If the domestic water is supplied by a well, then promptly after the Seller’s acceptance and pursuant to oRS 448.271, the Seller shall have the well tested for arsenic, nitrates and total coliform bacteria and submit the test results to the department of Human Services drinking Water Program. In addition, the Homebuyer should verify whether the well has been registered with the oregon Water Resources department, as required by oregon law.

The Homebuyer may be well advised to have other tests performed on the well: ●Contaminants Test ●lead ●Well flow Test: Performed by a licensed well tester to measure the volume of water produced from the

well used for domestic purposes. Typically, well flow tests are four hours in length.

Home protection plans are available that may provide additional benefits to the Homebuyer and Seller.

The Homebuyer may be well advised to verify the following factors that could affect the property:

●Building Permit Records ●Condo/HoA Minutes and financials/

oREf Condo Addendum ●Easements and deed Restrictions ●fire Protection district ●flood Plain ●Insurability ●lot Size, Boundaries and Corners ●Prior damage/Claims ●Public Safety Issues ●Safety Considerations - smoke/carbon

monoxide detectors, etc. ●School Boundaries ●Seismic Risk ●Seller’s Property disclosure ●Square footage of Structure ●Utilities/Sewer Hook Up/Availability ●Zoning/Allowable Uses

*Additional information is available in the oregon Property Buyer Advisory consumer publication, located atwww.oregonrealtors.org/.docs/pg/10421 or www.rea.state.or.us/