FAQ – Is A HQS Inspection Required On Down Payment Assistance Programs

An HQS or Housing Quality Standards is required on many but not all programs.  It is imp0ortant to know up front

  • Is an HQS required
  • Who will perform the inspection
  • What will they be looking at.

Generally there are two types of HQS inspectors.

  • Some programs have in-house associates who work for the DAP program and as part of their duties perform the  HQS Inspection
  • Other DAP administrators have said that they buyers home inspector can act as the HQS inspector to.  the catch here is that the buyer must chose an inspector from the list of inspectors that has been approved by the DAP administrator.  If the buyer fails to realize this upfront, they will end up paying for two inspections instead of one.  This happens because early in the transaction the buyer is required to remove their Buyer Investigations contingency which has to do with the buyer inspecting the home.   The buyer not realizing that a special inspector is needed has an inspection done and pays for it (about 250-500 dollars).  Then the DAP application is submitted and the inspection with it.  The inspection is rejected and the buyer must have another one done with an inspector on the approved HQS inspectors list.  Again, this can all be avoided by understanding the requirements up front.

When the HQS inspectors look at the homes, they are looking for specific health and safety items.  It is important to understand before making an offer if any of these issues are there and if so will the seller pay to have the issues repaired.  Not all DAP programs will allow the buyer to make the repairs.  If the seller is not willing to correct issues that are found on the HQS inspection, then the transaction will fail.  We try to provide a copy of the HQS inspection report on the page for each specific DAP.  Make sure to review it and look for the items in the house before making the offer.

 
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Want even more information? Watch the First Time Home Buyer Tutorial located in our Video Tutorial Section

Still Have Questions? Call 877-696-7373 x777 or email Don Gardnier at Don@sd4u.com

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