Home inspection repairs (for sale, appliances, how much)

[NCtoNJ]

Hello,

We are in the process of buying a house and are expecting our home inspection report in a couple of days. We do not expect any major deal-breaking issue in the report, but quite a few minor repairs.

I wanted to get an idea of how to approach this. In NJ, how much does the seller generally agree to fixing? Can we ask them to take care of everything that is in the report? How about cleaning some things that look like they haven't been cleaned in years?

Any suggestions will be very helpful. We are very nervous...
Thanks a lot!

[BobKovacs]

A lot depends on the deal, and whether the seller feels that you've already gotten a low enough price for the house. If it's a house that they could sell to someone else fairly easily if you decide to walk because they refuse to do the minor repairs, they'll likely refuse. If the market in that area is a little soft, they may be willing to do some things. There's no "one size fits all" answer to your question.

As an example, we've sold our house, and are closing in three weeks. The inspection report came up with about a dozen nit-picky items (every report generally does- the inspector has to find something to justify his fee). Because we gave the buyers a pretty good deal on the house, our agent had forewarned them that we wouldn't be making any repairs unless something major was found, so the buyer didn't ask for any of the items to be corrected. His lawyer, however, took it upon himself to request that we correct two of the items. We rejected the request, stating that the house is being sold "as-is", and everything is fine with the buyer.

Regarding "cleaning things", I wouldn't expect that someone who hasn't cleaned his/her house "in years" will suddenly decide to become a neat-freak for you. The contract probably states that the home needs to be left "broom clean", but don't expect much more than that.

Bob

[Roselvr]

Anything safety related is usually fixed, other then that, most sellers have priced the house accordingly.

Same thing with cleaning, you can ask for a pro cleaner to come in but don't count on it. If they didn't clean the house to put it up for sale they probably won't clean for closing either. From what I understand, broom clean is the norm...

[chatty56]

Check your contract, it will tell you what to ask for. Usually electric, plumbing, heating and air (not aged units as long as they are working), structural, leaking roof. You can ask for anything, but don't expect cosmetic repairs, this would be a plus.

[NCtoNJ]

Do cracked tiles because of flexing/settling of the floor count as structural problem? Should we ask the seller to fix it? Has anybody had any such issues in inspection?

[tahiti]

Originally Posted by NCtoNJ

Do cracked tiles because of flexing/settling of the floor count as structural problem? Should we ask the seller to fix it? Has anybody had any such issues in inspection?

you can ask for whatever you want, lol. my sister in law sold a townhouse and the buyer wanted her to replace ALL the (working) appliances, because they were "outdated" (including the 6 yr old microwave and refrig). she told him to go pound salt.

i'm sure someone will correct me, but i'd guess as long as it's not a safety issue (i.e - you can trip over the cracks), it's NOT a structural problem.

[Roselvr]

Originally Posted by NCtoNJ

Do cracked tiles because of flexing/settling of the floor count as structural problem? Should we ask the seller to fix it? Has anybody had any such issues in inspection?

I would think that the house was priced accordingly, knowing this was like that, so no.