Buying A Home
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Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
How many repairs did you ask for/how many were actually done?
Our home inspection report came in, and there are about 10 problems to fix. Probably 3-4 of them are non-negotiable (ie. mold in the attic and electrical issues), the others we'd really like fixed but maybe could handle ourselves. I don't want to be a PITA buyer and ask for every little thing but I also don't want to buy a house that's a money pit.
Kristy
Re: How many repairs did you ask for/how many were actually done?
I've seen others on here who hand the full report over and the sellers fix EVERYTHING. I wish it was that way here!
By the time we did our inspection, there had already been two others (the sellers did one and the first buyer did one). We asked them to fix:
- Hole in the porch ceiling
- Wood rot on exterior bay window frame
- Four window seals that were busted
They were already fixing some chimney issues because the original buyer requested it and they did all three of the above. They also fixed a few other things on their own - a safety glitch with the garage door opener and cleaning the gutters.
I would prioritize your list and talk to your REA. A lot depends on local customs.
Our home was a bank-owned Homepath, being sold "as-is" so we only asked for what we needed to pass FHA appraisal. After some discussion, we ended up getting it all repaired so that we could close.
We had a horrible agent at the time. If I could do it over again, I'd ask for all repairs noted on the inspection. The worst they can say is no.
ETA - Unless you need repairs to close on your loan, PP's solution of a negotiated cash-back at closing is probably the best option. That way, you can prioritize your repairs and be sure of the quality of repair. It also saves the headache for the seller, so it should be a win-win.
The inspector came back with a pretty extensive list. We asked for a few major things:
Rotted siding replaced in three areas
The front stoop was sinking and needed to be jacked up to enable water to shed away from the house
The GFI circut in the garage needed to be serviced
The furnace needed to be serviced as it was not properly working during the inspection
And there was mold in the attic and in the utility room. Both areas were dry. We didn't mess with the attic as it didn't pose a concern, but we did ask to have the drywalll replaced in the utility room. The water heater had burst and we wanted to be sure there wasn't anything behind the drywall.
Things we didn't ask for:
Backdoor was broken and the trim had rotted
Downspouts needed to be extended away from house
The water softener was not working. We didn't ask for it to be replaced, just inquired about whether or not it worked. They replaced it for us.
Washer hookups had corroded. We did not ask for this repair, but they had it done at the same time as the water softener.
All the faucets were leaky and needed to be replaced
Kitchen tile was cracked
Microwave was not working
Window seals needed to be replaced in all rooms, a few windows had condensation between the panes
None of the smoke detectors worked
Front door was not installed properly
Concerns about the way the roof had been installed. We had a second opinion and he deemed it okay, so we didn't push it.
Basically, we asked for the big $$ things. We got an excellent deal on the house and the sale price reflected the condition.
Ironically, a week after we closed a massive hailstorm hit and caused 30K in damage. We ended up getting a new roof, windows, gutters, and front door anyhow!
When we sold, we didn't have anything major on the report, but our sellers were a total PITA about it. The wanted a licensed electrician to come and replace a cracked light switch plate. There was a window screen that had a bent frame, and they demanded that a licensed contractor install it. Don't be those people.
We asked for two things.. fix an electrical outlet that wasn't wired properly and fix the furnace that was leaking. They fixed both. There were numerous other little things that we did not ask for.
I agree with stephm0188... please don't be "those" people. When we sold our house, they gave us a huge list with things like 'noisy garbage disposal' (it worked fine and was no lounder than any other one I've ever heard) and 'loose light fixture' (I literally just had to tighten the screw with a screwdriver). They ended up coming back and asking for $1500 to fix everything on the list.. no estimates, that's just the number they picked. We ended up giving them $500.
We're still in the process of getting approved, but the only thing we suspected would be a problem was the chipping paint on the porch handrails. We knew the it wouldn't pass appraisal since we're shooting for an FHA loan. We voiced our concerns to the sellers and by the weekend it was fixed.
Still waiting for approval, although we passed inspection and the house appraised.
Our buyers asked for some outlets to be switched to GFI's and to install the radon remediation system, which we were fine with. There were other things noted on our inspection report that they did not ask for (adding attic insulation, window well cover for basement window, adding CO detector to the bedroom level).
We're asking our sellers for the radon remediation system and to fix the doorbell. A few other small things we said we will fix ourselves (grounding a light fixture in one powder room and putting some sealant outside at 2 spots). We're submitting this info today so unsure of their answer.
Our first buyer asked for a list of small things- remove wasp nest, tighten toilet, etc.
When we bought we asked for radon mitigation, a cap on the chimmney, the FPE pannel and orginal furnace to be checked. There were a few smaller items too, which they declined and we were ok not getting.
We are buying our house "as is" for the most part and negotiated the price down because we want to do most of the work ourselves. The sellers did fix the heat pump and had the chimney cleaned and a crack repaired. They also had to fix 2 leaking drain pipes in the bathrooms in order for the VA appraiser to sign off on his report.
We are going through this process as well. So did the bank end up paying for the FHA repairs at all? Was your purchase price adjusted if they paid for the repairs?