VA Home Repairs in Florida

Really good answer to a question I had regarding VA home repairs from Jess Kinna, a local mortgage broker…

Hi Jeff,

Follow up on your VA repair questions… feel free to pass this along to your seller as well.

VA in Florida requires a clear pest & termite report. If you know there is pest issues it’s probably best to get it treated prior to an inspection. For whatever reason VA does not allow the buyer to pay for this pest inspection, but anyone else involved in the transaction can. Typically the seller will pay for it.

The complete home inspection is not required to be submitted to underwriting for VA. The only repairs that will be required to be completed prior to closing are those that come up on the appraisal. The VA appraiser is all about safety and soundness of the home. The most typical repairs are peeling paint on the outside of the home, evidence of dry rot or severely weathered trim, any tree’s/foliage growing with direct contact to the home, broken windows, missing covers on electrical outlets, exposed wiring, holes in interior drywall, etc…. All utilities must also be on & functioning.

Cosmetic stuff will not typically not be required repairs unless the home is in really, really bad shape. Dirty carpets, old cabinets, outdated fixtures, etc. are not considered safety & soundness issues.

The pest/termites will need to be treated, everything else I would wait on the appraisal and see what’s required. If you are repairing items based on the home inspection there’s a chance that your seller may fix a bunch of stuff but then still have other repairs come up on the appraisal. There’s also a really high likely-hood that repairs mentioned on the inspection will not come up on the appraisal.

Let me know if you need any additional info!

Jess Kinna
Mortgage Planner
NMLS# 257829

Palm Beach Mortgage Group
O: 561-478-4780 – C: 561-962-1375
F: 561-828-8026
[email protected]