Buyer Due Diligence for Chicago Area Homes: Check Beyond Showing

Home listings can tell you how many beds there are, how many square feet the home is, and maybe when the kitchen was remodeled. They can’t tell you whether that kitchen remodel had a permit. They may have patched that basement wall at some point, too. These are things you want to know when buying a home.

Buyer due diligence for Chicago area homes involves more than touring a property and getting an inspection. Records can answer some of these questions. Knowing what questions to ask lets you dig deeper if something seems fishy.

Say you have an enclosure around your porch that you use all season long. It’s nice and warm, and the listing says it’s included with your home. You may want to find out what was done and see if there are records of permits or inspections. This varies by municipality and type of work. There could be no record because a permit wasn’t required, or the records may be unavailable. Either way, ask.

Start with your municipality. A home with a Naperville mailing address may fall under a different permitting jurisdiction than a nearby property. Once you know the municipality, find out what it can provide. Do they have permit records? Maybe inspections? Some municipalities may not have older records.

Once you have this info, you can compare it to your seller’s residential real property disclosure report. This report can answer some questions about known defects that are asked on the form. Under Illinois law, sellers must disclose material defects they actually know about, but they aren’t required to conduct a separate investigation to complete the form. The report doesn’t guarantee the home is defect-free. Some property transfers are exempt from the disclosure requirement. Consult your real estate agent and attorney about what applies to your situation.

Now that you have the information, you can start asking questions. If your seller said they had water damage, ask when it happened and whether they have documentation. Maybe they added on to their home and it looks newer than the rest of the house. Did they get any permits or drawings? These are examples of questions to ask. You don’t want to assume that everything without a record is bad.

Property information can be another helpful source. Property tax info can help, but it won’t confirm whether the work was up to code. Recorded deeds may raise more questions. Your title company or attorney can answer these questions and explain what they can and cannot find.

Always arrange a home inspection. Property records alone can’t establish the current condition of your roof, electrical panel, or basement. A Chicago suburban home inspection guide covers the physical areas buyers may want to examine more closely:

https://mikebergrealtor.com/chicago-suburban-home-inspection-checklist/

Keep a list of what you know and the questions you still have. You can send those questions to your agent, lawyer, inspector, or municipality. Check your contract’s timeline to see if you have enough time to gather more info. Due diligence helps when buying a home, but you won’t have answers to everything.