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So this situation is complicated. We put in offer in for the house when we got word back that the relocation company is involved. The house does not belong to the company but i guess they're trying to help the owner sell it in a timely manner so he can relocate? They still reside there.
They even requested an inspected and the house need major repairs. The main thing is that it will need a new roof in less than 2 years. Are we able to request the roof replacement or can we ask them to lower the price of the house after we get a quote from a contractor?
Also the AC units would need to be replaced as they're over 10 years old.
We've never been in this sort of situation. Other than these, the house is pretty much perfect. Now we're stalling and might have to go back to looking and move into an apartment as we sold our house and are moving out in a couple of weeks!
Any experience with relocation companies? And roofs with very low life expectancies?
You can ask anything you like. It does not mean the relo company will agree to it. What kind of loan are you getting ?
If it is an FHA loan, the roof should have a couple of years left or the appraiser may put a roof replacement as a repair requirement. If it is a conventional loan, there is no such requirement. As long as the roof is not obviously in need of repair, it becomes a negotiated item between buyer and seller.
As for the air conditioners, either they work properly or they don't work. If they work well, their age does not matter. And what do you mean by " air conditioners". Are you talking about multiple in the window units or through the wall units. Or does the house have central air with multiple air handlers.
Either way, the age does not matter. If they work, no seller will replace them based on age alone. Also, portable units are considered to be personal property.
In your case, I would write a contract if you want the house and ask for roof replacement. The worst they will do is to say " no". The relo company has already a home inspection done, so they are aware of the issue and maybe willing to negotiate.
You are buying a house in its current condition. You don't get to say "what if the roof needs to be replaced in 2 years" or "what if the 10 year old AC goes out next Summer." Every single buyer could say something like that about every single house on the market. Playing the "what if" game is not useful.
The AC works and the seller is selling today, he's selling a working AC with the house. The roof is working as intended today and is selling the house today, so he's selling a house with a usable, leak-free roof.
You don't get to ask for credits because you might have to replace something in the future. What if it needs to be replaced in 5 years, but you sell in 4 years and never replaced because they still worked? Are you going to give your buyer a credit for potential replacement?
As Falconhead said, I don't know how far you're going to get with these requests. It sounds like the roof and the A/C are working. Generally when I'm the listing agent, I don't advise my clients to give credits/adjustments simply because something is "old." Functional is functional whether it's old or new. These systems could last another day or they could last another 10 years. You just don't know.
FHA loans requires a roof to have a two year useful life or it needs to be replaced. However, they rely on their appraisers to guesstimate the age left.
The appraiser is not going on the roof. They will just eyeball it from the ground looking for lifting shingles, missing shingles, blistering or curling shingles, water stains on interior ceilings or in the attic, etc.
I suppose you could try meeting the appraiser at the house when the appraisal is done with a copy of your home inspection. I don't know if that would encourage the appraiser to put in the repair requirement but you could make the attempt.
FHA loans requires a roof to have a two year useful life or it needs to be replaced. However, they rely on their appraisers to guesstimate the age left.
The appraiser is not going on the roof. They will just eyeball it from the ground looking for lifting shingles, missing shingles, blistering or curling shingles, water stains on interior ceilings or in the attic, etc.
I suppose you could try meeting the appraiser at the house when the appraisal is done with a copy of your home inspection. I don't know if that would encourage the appraiser to put in the repair requirement but you could make the attempt.
Forget the A/C condensers.
The OP could try that tactic, but they may be painting themselves into a corner by doing it. I don't know what the market is like in their corner of the world, but what if the seller decides they'd rather put the house back on the market than spend thousands replacing the roof? At that point, the only recourse the buyer has if they want to move forward is to use a different loan product which I have no idea if they would qualify for.
The OP might have a chance. The relo company always has a home inspection done as part of their process. It seems it is this inspection to which the OP refers. That might mean that the relo company is aware of the roof problem and may be anticipating negotiating the contract because of the roof.
The OP might have a chance. The relo company always has a home inspection done as part of their process. It seems it is this inspection to which the OP refers. That might mean that the relo company is aware of the roof problem and may be anticipating negotiating the contract because of the roof.
We've done two corporate relocations and never had an inspection done by the relo company.
Also, both times we were the ones negotiating the contract. The relo company didn't step in until after the homes were under contract.
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