\It's that time of year when there's a slight inkling of spring in the air, despite our never-ending snowstorms!

This is the time when sellers think about putting their homes on the market in anticipation of snow melting and yards perking up with spring flowers—perfect for photos in their virtual tours to attract buyers. Thus, there's usually more inventory than at the end-of-the year holidays, when sellers are nesting and don't want buyers tromping through their homes and holiday decorations.

Interest rates are under 6%, and buyers are getting pre-approved for loans, hoping to make offers on new listings hitting the market or old listings that have had price adjustments after sitting too long for sale.

The most important part of a buyer's purchase contract is the "buyer's due diligence" contingency. It typically states that the person purchasing a home is responsible to review and approve things like physical conditions, hazardous substances, environmental and geological conditions, square footage and acreage and the state of the dwelling's roof, walls, foundation, plumbing, electrical wiring, heating/air conditioning and appliances. Buyers also review the cost and availability of insurance, any HOA dues to be paid, and the home's proximity to everything from municipal services to convicted sex offenders living in the area.

Buyers can hire anyone to do inspections for them—Uncle Bob, Aunt Mary, the neighbor who's a plumber or a professional home inspector, but buyers pay for inspections—not the seller(s).

Usual inspections costs $300-$500, where a home inspector looks at anything and everything in a home, top to bottom. But for more money, buyers can have other inspections done depending on their concerns: testing for radon, meth, air quality, mold or allergens as well as sewer-line scopes and engineering inspections.

I always recommend radon and sewer tests as we live in a radon area and many sewer lines are made of clay. It will run $1,000-$1,500 if you do all of these tests, and if you don't like the outcome of any of them you can cancel your contract (within the dates agreed to in the contract) and get your earnest money back.

When homes were selling with 50 offers a few years back, buyers incentivized sellers by making offers not subject to home inspections. And now, many buyers are suffering buyer's remorse for not doing so before their final purchase!