Handling Home Inspection Repair Requests

If you are selling your home, you may be wondering if routine repairs are needed after a home inspection. After all, most buyers will not commit to buying a home until it has been thoroughly reviewed by a home inspector and you are confident that if there is a problem, this professional will find it!

In fact, your real estate agent will most likely recommend that your offer to purchase be conditional on a home inspection, in addition to appraisal and approval of financing.

So if your home inspection reveals a defect that your buyer wants to fix, what to do next?

Read about 7 of the most common home inspection problems and find the average cost to fix each one

1. Outdated or dangerous wiring

Faulty wiring tops the list of problem (not to mention dangerous) home inspection results. If your inspector finds:

A) Power is supplied by an outdated system, such as button tube wiring or

B) there are signs of dangerous wires, you may need to hire an electrician to rewire the entire house, a major business.

When you only have a few outlets to replace, for example replacing GFI outlets with the standard variety, the repair will take much less time and money.

2. Damp basement

Untreated moisture in the basement will lead to mold and poor indoor air quality. There are several potential methods for channeling outdoor moisture away from the home:

A) properly classify the shipyard,

B) have French drains installed, or

C) Make sure all gutters and downspouts are in good condition and positioned correctly.

3. Roof damage

A damaged or aging roof may have cracked, swollen, or brittle shingles. Your flashing may be cracked or missing. Either of these situations is a red flag for future roof leaks (if there is no longer an active leak), which in turn will eventually lead to water damage to the roof inside the home.

4. Foundation Warning Signs

The foundation of a distressed home shows different warning signs, which only get worse if left unattended. Your home inspector can interpret whether these signs mean “Warning!” “(Diagonal cracks, crumbling mortar, bulging walls, warping) or” This is something you may want to deal with “(vertical crack less than 1/16” wide, puddles adjacent to base).

5. Plumbing faults

How Can Household Plumbing Fail? Plumbing failures often start small and turn into a huge headache (and a strain on your wallet) over time. Leaky faucets, clogged drains, too high or too low water pressure, a damaged washing machine hose, and any type of plumbing leak will need to be fixed to make the home truly habitable.

6. Ineffective ventilation

Poor ventilation (like a range hood that simply removes kitchen odors and doesn’t vent steam outside) increases the relative humidity level inside. This leads to condensation on the windows and eventually mold and mildew throughout the house. Combined with super enthusiastic insulation (vendor’s DIY project, maybe?), It also makes the attic too hot, power-consuming, and too harsh on the roof.

Home inspection repair requests to avoid

1. Cosmetic problems

These include issues like a deck that needs to be stained, touch-up paint or fixing a cracked tile that may catch your eye and annoy you a bit, but these aren’t the kinds of issues you need to fix right away. Cosmetic issues are high on the list for a salesperson to avoid solving them.

2. Inexpensive Repairs

Minor problems under a hundred dollars to resolve are definitely home inspection repair requests that a buyer should not make! The problems that arise from repair claims are not always about the financial cost, however, this is taken to the extreme.

There may be hundreds of things to fix in a home, but you and the buyer have little time to close a deal.

3. Renovations you are considering

Buyers can examine the home and imagine improvements that will make it perfect for them and their lifestyle. However, it is important to remember that you are not responsible for preparing your dream home. He just wants to sell the house for the best possible price and finish it.

4. Cracks in a basement

Concrete by nature is a very porous substance. It absorbs water and settles naturally. Cracks in concrete floors are completely expected and are not a structural problem.

However, if your home has cracks in the basement wall, it is important to determine if they are structural or not. Most of the time they are not a cause for concern unless the wall has moved or the size of the crack has opened significantly.

5. Loose fasteners, railings, and similar issues

A loose doorknob, light fixture, or railing on a patio or staircase can be annoying, even potentially dangerous, but these problems are often fixed with basic hand tools and a little effort. If you are unable to tighten the screws yourself, for example, if they are bare or the hardware involved is old and worn, you can hire a contractor to fix the problem at a reasonable cost.

Obviously, if there are large areas of rot or rot or major safety issues, you can request a repair. But if the problem is minor, avoid stressing yourself just yet.

6. Minor water damage

When water saturates interior building materials, like drywall, it can look pretty bad. The buyer is unlikely to miss such damage when walking around the house. Unfortunately, the home inspector will also not miss any signs of water damage and can tell you how bad the problem is. If the water has caused significant damage, the inspector will let you know and make repairs. But if the water damage is purely cosmetic, don’t worry.

7. Outdoor buildings

If you are in a competitive market, you will need to be able to put a few things aside when it comes to the other buildings on the property. Sheds tend to rot; garages tend to get dirty.

If there are some serious problems, it might be better to fix them, but if the shed or garage looks like any other shed or garage in the neighborhood, that is, less than perfect, it may be something buyers are going to have. to take care of themselves.

8. Minor problems in the yard

Buyers can’t wait for you to plant the flower beds and install a fountain just for them. You also won’t be too interested in doing minor landscaping repairs that they can do on their own after buying the home.

Home inspection repairs that are negotiable

Between the repairs that are usually necessary and those that are not, there is a whole gray area of ​​repairs to be won. How you manage them depends in part on the market you are in. If you are in a fashion vendor market, you have more power to decide.

“While buyers are always advised to have a home inspection so they know what they are buying when there are a limited number of homes for sale and buyers need to compete for homes, they are more likely to waive their right to ask a seller to make repairs,” says Lerner.

In fact, “the best contract for a seller would be for the buyer to agree to purchase your home as-is or to request an ‘information only’ home inspection, thus absolving you of any need to pay for any repairs.”

However, in a normal market, you will not be able to draw such a stiff and fast line. Work with your real estate agent to understand what items to address and where you may want to decline.

You want to be reasonable; After all, a lot of time has passed in the sales process and you probably want to do some repairs instead of letting the buyer leave. Also, depending on the extent of the requested repair, this is unlikely to go away. Now that it has been discovered, you will need to report the problem to the next buyer.

Final Thoughts

If you have an older home and you know that there are some flaws that need special attention, a home inspection might be worth it! As long as you can prevent a home inspection from reducing your sale, that’s a good thing.

Depending on the condition of your home, you may not be able to get the last penny you were hoping for. However, it is worth spending a little money to sell for a reasonable price.

Give us a call and our team at Falaya will make sure to guide your choices and do everything possible to negotiate home inspection issues competently, and you should be able to sell without spending more than is reasonable.