Buyers moving into Bellevue often assume the seller has to tell them what is wrong with the house. In most states, that assumption is roughly correct. In Virginia, it is not. The statement you will receive at contract signing is drafted to do the opposite of what its name suggests, and the housing stock along MacArthur, Bellevue, Pope, and Hermitage is old enough that the systems most likely to fail are exactly the ones a general home inspection will not open up.
That combination is the thesis of this post. In Bellevue, the inspection contingency is not a checklist item. It is the single window in which you hold any real leverage, and how you use it should be shaped by the specific era of the house you are buying.
The Leverage Window Closes Fast in Virginia
Virginia is a caveat emptor jurisdiction.
