MUNICIPAL INSPECTIONS & PERMITS
When buying or selling a home in Lehigh Valley depending on where you buy a Certificate of Occupancy (CO) may need to be obtained.
Sometimes this is called a Resale Inspection or a Home Buyer Notification Inspection.
The Pennsylvania Agreement of Sale requires that if the municipality requires an inspection to sell a home the seller of the home must order it and pay for it.
The Agreement of Sale leaves it open for negotiations on whether the seller will do any required work or if the new home buyer will do it.
If the Lehigh Valley Home Buyer agrees to do the required work there is usually a time limit (within 30 days after purchase, within 6 months after purchase...etc). Every municipality is different so the rules/guidelines should be checked.
Rather than deal with any of this, the Home Buyer may put right in the Agreement of Sale that the Home Seller will do any required repairs required by the municipality.
This is a list of the municipalities in Northampton County that definitely require an inspection when selling a home.
- Bangor
- Bethlehem
- Bethlehem Township
- Easton
- Hanover Township
- Wilson
Municipalities that are not listed above should be checked to see if an inspection is required.
A problem that may occur during a home sale is that the municipality discovers work that was done without a required permit. For example, adding a deck or finishing the basement. This could potentially become a big problem.