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I wouldn’t provide receipts, but would provide before and after pictures as a courtesy. I’m not going to pay a plumber to caulk something. Pay a plumber to tighten a fixture? Ridiculous.
Also, before doing anything I’d respond with a counter as to what I’ll do and what I won’t. So say caulking is in, the shed is out, and take it or leave it. I then have until date of closing to get the smaller list done. Whether or not I do it myself, have a family member do it, or hire it out to a handyman or licensed professional, unless it’s required to use a pro in my locality it’s none of the buyer’s business.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
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My buyers gave me a list and I told my agent what I would or wouldn't do. In our case, we had a dollar limit for repairs ($500) unless it was structural or something that wasn't visible.
They mentioned touching up painting and a few other ridiculous things, but the flaws they pointed out were clearly and obviously visible. As such, I argued that the house was priced for the condition of those visible flaws.
My house did not have to be up to current code. However, my buyers wanted me to update some minor electrical issue. I did it because 1) it was very inexpensive and 2) I wanted the sale to go thru.
I did have receipts for the work done, but I held onto them.
The buyers had the opportunity to verify work done on the final walk-thru. I have no idea if they did or didn't.
When we sold our house in Phoenix we were required to bring the old electrical outlets up to code in the kitchen and bathrooms to GFCI outlets. The water heater required a newer pressure relief valve. No grandfathering in was allowed.
Again, there’s no law requiring that you update a house after it is built, nor are there any government lending standards that “require” it. FHA appraisal standards require that obvious safety hazards (like a damaged outlet, or a missing one) be repaired, but there’s nothing anywhere, ever that “requires” a seller to add a gfci to a house that wasn’t built with one.
I’ve fought this fight with both home inspectors and lenders before - anyone spouting that nonsense is lying. Usually there’s a home inspector recommending something like a gfci in a bathroom, and a busybody at a bank making up “laws” that don’t exist... usually followed by a grown-up inspecting the situation and finding out there’s two bathroom outlets and a garage outlet protected by a single gfci that’s present and working fine. Adding a 2nd or 3rd gfci in that situation can actually cause some problems..
As for the t&p valve on the water heater, I’ve never bought a water heater without one present, and I’ve bought a lot of them.. if it’s leaking, that’s an “obvious” and necessary repair.. if it’s missing, it’s a hacked install, and a legit safety issue.
When we sold our house in Phoenix we were required to bring the old electrical outlets up to code in the kitchen and bathrooms to GFCI outlets. The water heater required a newer pressure relief valve. No grandfathering in was allowed.
Who told you? because who ever did, was 100% incorrect.
Thanks! I will tell this idea to my mom and have her consult her agent about it. I will see where it goes from there. Maybe I am seeing things too personally, but these people first low balled my mom on their first offer (that the agent wanted her to take). Luckily, mom listened to me and counter offered and they ended up agreeing to a price that mom was comfortable with and that the buyers were willing to pay. I can see fixing truly broken things that they couldn't see (like the steam heater which is in a crawl space or the GFIs that weren't working or that beam in the attic). That seems fair. But why are they asking her to paint the shed (honestly, that's the weirdest request to me). Is it revenge for her counter offering? It's just odd.
What is your market like? Is this house hard to sell? I wouldn’t agree to anything cosmetic. Only major items, safety items or items which might prevent a buyer from getting insurance or a loan. Your Mom can just say NO. I assume the house was already priced accordingly and is not a brand new house. Her agent isn’t doing their job.
What is your market like? Is this house hard to sell? I wouldn’t agree to anything cosmetic. Only major items, safety items or items which might prevent a buyer from getting insurance or a loan. Your Mom can just say NO. I assume the house was already priced accordingly and is not a brand new house. Her agent isn’t doing their job.
In a soft market the time to address anything cosmetic is BEFORE you list. In a hot market the answer is “no” to any requests.
I live in a different state than my mom, my mom lives in Maryland.
I've replaced a GFI outlet myself, so I know what you mean about it being a simple repair. My brother installs fire alarms and systems for a living and certainly knows how to do such simple wiring (he was the one who told me how to do it, over the phone).
The cracked beam is a knot in the wood that popped out... at least, that's how my mom described it. It sounds kind of petty to me. I found a YouTube video on how to fix such a thing and it seemed simple for someone who is used to cutting wood and such (like my brother).
The inspector didn't say my mom had to have a licensed engineer to look at it. While I understand what you are saying, the buyers also didn't ask for it to be inspected by an engineer or anyone licensed. I hate to see mom spend money on something else with this sale.
In Maryland electrical rules depend on the County it is in. For example in Montgomery County you have to pass a test before you can do electrical work ON YOUR OWN HOUSE. My son ran up against this. Before you say they can't do that it has been tested in court and upheld because it is a 'safety issue'. My son took the test just to see what was involved and he said it was pretty basic. And I know folks skirt it all the time but for something like this where the fix will be documented I would be careful.
How old is the house? Lead paint abatement is a touchy subject. Maryland law requires any house built before 1976 be tested for lead paint before any work that can disturb the integrity of the surface (I think that is the way it is worded. I know it covers scraping paint and any cutting of a painted surface.) Enforcement is not always evenhanded but some locales are tougher than others. Generally more urban, more concern.
Most of this sounds ridiculous. Can you tell your mom you consulted with an "expert" (you've gotten some expert advice here!) and that you will take care of things what need actual repair but not on cosmetic or readily visible issues such as the gutters?
I think the agent is trying to take the path of least resistance and get the sale done, and if your mother doesn't push back at all, then she's the path of least resistance. But some of these requests really are unreasonable.
I've been offline a bit (I'm at mom's house helping clean things out and I did the caulking for her. I am just taking a break right now).
To answer some questions, there is no lead. The house was built in 1997. There is also no loan, the buyers are paying cash. They are buying this house as a vacation home (like I said before, it's water view with marina access baked into the deed). These people are boaters.
My brother knows people in construction (since he's in the line of work too). He has a friend who is a professional/contractor who can fix the cracked beam. He also said it's a very minor, minor thing. He said the roof is "over engineered" and it's a minor crack. They literally fix it by screwing in boards on either side of the beam. My brother also knows painters who can do the painting quick and cheap.
Mom plans to go though with all the requests. She's so afraid of losing the sale. Thank you everyone for the advice, but even with me relaying some if it, she's just not budging.
I have no idea what the market is like here. It's a rural area, but she's got a nice home. It was custom built to be a bed and breakfast with beautiful panoramic water views. It's got beautiful hardwood floors, trim, and doors throughout. All the bedrooms have their own bathrooms with Jacuzzi tubs/steamers. I love this house, but it's too much for her (dad passed away before they could do their retirement project of running a B&B). She got this offer after only two weeks on the market though.
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