what is reasonable to ask a seller to repair after home inspection?

[hotkarl]

Around 10 years ago when I was selling my last house, the buyer literally pulled every questionable item from the inspection report and wanted them all addressed.
We sent the contract back unsigned and let the lawyer set her and her lawyer straight.

[redshoe]

How did the trend start where buyers have been asking for everything under the sun?

When I bought my current home the inspector found about 15 issues but the only ones we asked for was "Move firewood away from house"-- I just didn't see the need for all the piddly cosmetic things and honestly didn't want to **** the seller's off with demands or believe they would fix them to my standards.

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by redshoe

When I bought my current home the inspector found about 15 issues but the only ones we asked for was "Move firewood away from house"-- I just didn't see the need for all the piddly cosmetic things and honestly didn't want to **** the seller's off with demands or believe they would fix them to my standards.

The inspector for my current house told me the water heater was on its last legs - that was 11 years ago, and it's still on the job.

(Hope I didn't just jinx it ... but I've been saving my pennies for 11 years! )

I don't know when 'caveat emptor' turned into 'make the seller pay for everything'. There certainly will be critical issues that need addressing in almost every sale, but some of the petty and inconsequential things I see buyers whining about just crack me up. When buying a used house, one also is buying a used water heater, a used furnace, a used roof, a used driveway. As long as those used things are in working condition, buyers should not expect them to be replaced or expect to receive a credit.

[Kibbiekat]

Originally Posted by Marcinru

How about asbestos tiles underneath a carpet?can I ask that to be removed?
Or cracks on chimney, handrails?
Basement copper pipes corroded
Gutters clogged
Foundation cracks?

asbestos tiles - no. They are harmless unless you start pulling them up.
cracks - if they are only cosmetic, no
pipes - could go either way
clogged gutters - no
foundation cracks - maybe

Just my opinion after buying and selling a few homes. It depends on the market. If they are in desperate need of a buyer, they might agree. If it is a sellers market, no way. Only ask for the big stuff that might be issues later on, not for every little thing.

[BigDGeek]

I bought in a buyer's market. Plenty of stuff showed up on the inspection report (old house), but I only asked for $1500 to go towards replacing the circuit box (didn't cover half of it) because it was an old Federal Pacific stab lok box, which has a bad reputation for starting fires.

I let the rest of it (asbestos included) go.

[willow wind]

What gets me is the people who try to use the inspection report to fix/replace things that are obvious when they looked at the house.

Examples
house with no gutters
gutters clogged
foundation cracks
ancient furnaces


Those types of things are what go into your original purchase offer. The inspection report, is, of course, going to note them. But what you want the report to do is to discover the readily not noticeable faults that the typical buyer would not have the expertise to understand. Buyers also have to understand that age related components in the house are part of the original pricing.

[redshoe]

Yeah it seems to me buyers want sellers to fix things that they would do once they own the home but at sellers expense...like new carpets, new appliances, Windows etc. These same buyers will then whine when they have to sell the same house 10 years down the road.