We recently did an inspection on the home we are looking to purchase. On the whole, it went well but there are a couple of things that were concerning to us and we would like repaired before we move in. If you were a seller, how reasonable would you find these requests?
-The windowsills (7 of them), the fascia above the front door, and the front door sill are completely rotted out. We would like these replaced.
-The garage has termite and carpenter ant damage as well as severe rotting on one wall, partially hidden by sheet rock. We would like the sheet rock removed and the wall repaired.
-The furnace is at least 35 years old- well past its expected lifetime. The inspector said it could really go at any time. We would like a $1500 credit at closing to replace it.
-For safety reasons and since we are doing a VA home loan, we would like the broken front stoop to be repaired.
While there were many more things to work on, we think we can handle those. Is this a reasonable list? Our expected closing date was 9/30 so it may be that not all repairs could be done within this time frame. IF that were the case, we would be satisfied with a $5,000 credit at closing (we are already covering all closing costs). I am not sure if we should tell them that from the start, or wait because we would much rather have these things repaired before we move in.
Thanks so much!
Re: How reasonable are these requests?
Reasonable is in the eye of the beholder. As a seller, we would never consider your request for the furnace. It is working and it is really not reasonable for you to expect them to give you an advance on a new unit.
As for the others, you can ask. They might say yes, or they might offer you a $ amount. They might say no, but you will never know unless you ask.
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When I sold my house there was a window sill that was partially dry rotted. I would have replaced it if they had asked. So if I was your seller I would take care of the sills and the termite damage. Since the furnice is still working I would not replace it because it is currently running and may run for another couple of years. Without seeing the broken front stoop I have a hard time saying if I would replace it.
Personally I would give you the $5,000 credit at closing just so I didn't have to deal with fixing everything. I think everything you ask for is reasonable and I would leave the your request for credit for the furnice in because it gives some negotiating room. If you want the repairs done before moving don't offer the $5000 credit because they should have plenty of time to complete them before closing. You can always come back and offer the $5000/no repairs if they turn down the repairs.
As the seller, I wouldn't have fixed those type of things. The sills because those weren't hidden damage and I'm assuming taken into account when pricing the house. The damage in the wall I might give credit for, but would not have been able to deal with getting repair myself.
And the furnace, if it still works, as for a home warranty (although I typically think those are worthless).
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Actually, most of the sills (5 out of 7) had covers placed on them so you can't see the damage. The other two were on the on the upper level and we could not see the damage from the inside (it is the outside sill that is rotted) but the inspector found it while inspecting the roof. He said that we need them replaced because under the coverings it is pretty much just a rotted out hole and could spread. I am not sure if this counts as hidden or not, but we certainly didn't expect it.
Good points, though. Thanks everyone for your help. It is important to me that we don't come off as jerks, but that we reach a fair compromise.
We would fix (and ask for if we were the buyers) everything except the furnance credit. We would probably pay for a home warranty, but you should have put that in the offer initially.
If you need the stoop fixed for your loan, they are going to have to fix it. DH had to scrape old paint off the fountain and repaint parts just because FHA said it didn't to be done for our buyer to close. It was stupid IMO, but we had to do it.
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Just to clarify...they only have to fix it if they want to complete the sale with the OP as the buyer. The sellers do not have to do anything to help the buyer with their loan if they do not want to. However, I would be suprised if they did not fix it if that was going to cause them to lose the sale.
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PLEASE STOP SPAMMING THE BOARDS.
Ditto...ask for everything except the furnace credit. As a seller, I'd likely say no to the window thing - big project and if no leaking, isn't critical to be done in the next month, but it might be negotiable ($1k off selling price). Otherwise, I'd probably try to accomodate the rest - especially the front stoop.
Are you united with the CCOKCs?