Brought to you by Scott P. Rogers, Funkhouser Real Estate Group, 540-578-0102, scott@HarrisonburgHousingToday.com
Brought to you by Scott P. Rogers, Funkhouser Real Estate Group, 540-578-0102, scott@HarrisonburgHousingToday.com
Friday, December 6, 2019
While not always the case, a general rule of thumb is that...
On home inspection repairs...
- SELLERS usually have a short term fix mentality
- BUYERS usually have a long term fix mentality
Inspector: Several roof shingles are missing, and the roof is past its life expectancy.
Seller: Replace the shingles.
Buyer: Replace the roof.
Inspector: The air handler coils are dirty and the heat pump is reeaaallly old.
Seller: Clean and service the heat pump and air handler.
Buyer: Replace them both!
These are a few extreme examples to start to show the differences in perspectives on repairs. Again, the important thing here is to recognize that a buyer and seller look at home inspection reports differently.
A seller typically wants to minimize their repair costs while keeping the home sale on track.
A buyer wants to make sure that any previously unknown property condition issues are addressed in a manner that is likely to prevent further near term maintenance needs in those areas.
Both perspectives (minimizing repair costs, addressing previously unknown property condition issues) are reasonable, most of the time, depending on how it plays out related to specific deficiencies of a home.So, what is a buyer to do? A few thoughts....
- Consider asking for a credit in lieu of repairs so that you can be in charge of how the repairs are made.
- If you are asking for repairs to be completed by the seller, be very specific about how you want them to be completed.
- Understand that it is not always reasonable to ask a seller to make a repair with a 10 year future in mind.
- Be willing to compromise with the seller to find a way to move forward on the home that you are, presumably, still excited to buy!
