1st time homebuyer / just got home inspection

[jasonsgal]

DH and I are first time homebuyers and we just got our home inspection. I don't know what to do now. My DH is working and hasn't been able to look at the report. Can you girls give me some insight? We love the house so much and I am a little upset by the report -- or should I be? What does one usually do when things like this come up? Thank you!

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ROOF:
Several roof shingles are damaged scattered around the roof.

the lead flashing at all of the plumbing vent pipes are damaged and need replacement

Exterior Elements:
water damage was found at the lower parts of the vertical trim at all of the dormers. Remove and replace all damaged wood.

Flashing is missing above the vehicle door, above the side garage door, and above the rear kitchen door. These areas may leak unless properly flashed. Have checked by contractor and repaired as necessary.

water damage was found at the lower exterior trim, lower door jamb and door core at the side garage door. The weather stripping is also damaged at this door.

SITE ELEMENTS:

The rear yard slopes towards the rear patio. This patio will collect water until it drains away between patio blocks.

INTERIOR ELEMENTS:
Cracked window glass was found at one window in the front center dormer

The gas logs in fireplace did ignite but some of the fake logs are missing. Replace all missing logs.

The attic access door in the green bedroom does not latch when closed.

The lights in the garage, the light in the master bath vent fan, and the oven light are not functional.

[jasonsgal]

While looking at the inspection report I found another question that I have:

The exterior electrical panel could not be opened for inspection due to vegetation near the panel.

Is that a big deal? I would think that they need to cut back the vegetation so that it can be inspected but on our dime?

Sorry for my many questions, this is so new to me!

karen

[Sabre]

As far as the electrical panel, our inspector couldn't get to it because of boxes. But he did say that he was able to put his hand on it and feel to see if it felt hot or if it felt as if it had been rigged in any way and it felt fine.

I'm really no help at all with the other stuff.

[1MegMeg]

What is in your contract re: the inspection? A lot of times the contract will state that the seller will pay up to a certain amount of repairs found in the inspection. First, I think you and DH should look over the inspection report and (if you really love the house and ares still interested in persuing the purchase) get estimates for some of the things that need to be fixed. Also talk to the sellers. Even if there isn't anything in the contract about them having to pay, the still might....or at the very least split the costs of the repairs.

I am not a contractor or anything and my home repair knowledge is minimal, but I am a homeowner (one our second house) so I'll through in my 2cents about each item.

Several roof shingles are damaged scattered around the roof. - Not sure how many "several" are, but I would think you would want to have this addressed. It's important to have a good solidy roof. Missing shingles can open you up to roof leaks.

Lead Flashing - should fix it, but it's not a that big a deal. We had the same issue with our current. Turns out the squirrels eat the flashings!

Most of the interior elements (except for the non-functioning electrical....that I would want to get checked out) would be nice to fix, but they aren't really deal breakers, IMHO. Those are more what I consider cosmetic things and could be fixed later on.

[ButterflyJen]

Prefacing all of this by saying I am not a contractor or inspector - just basing your results against the house we owned (and just sold).

The signs of water/water damage are what I would be concerned about. We had this issue on our house and we had constant water problems in the spring when it would thaw. Our basement was constantly wet from March through April. (Don't know if you have a basement - doesn't sound like it from this report?)

The patio/yard slope could also be a problem, if the patio is right next to the house. Our driveway sloped towards our house and that's the side where the water came in during spring thaw.

When they say "not functional" regarding the lights, do they mean burnt out, or completely non-functional? If they're completely non-functional, that would signify a problem with the electrical to me.

Can you amend your offer to have the sellers take care of some of the more pressing things - such as the roof and flashing?

[boilermaker]

First, don't be too upset with the report. No house is perfect and if you expect a perfect report...well, I'd find a different inspector! In all honesty, I am hoping that your report found a few more things and you've just chosen to focus on these points.


As for the specific points:
ROOF:
Several roof shingles are damaged scattered around the roof.
Should be fixed but is a problem at any home without a new roof. Weather damages shingles. Not a big deal to fix yourself so long as the damage isn't to the roof itself.


the lead flashing at all of the plumbing vent pipes are damaged and need replacement
Again, I would have this one fixed but is a pretty easy thing to do.

Exterior Elements:
water damage was found at the lower parts of the vertical trim at all of the dormers. Remove and replace all damaged wood.
In additional to replacing the damaged wood, I would consider redoing the gutters around these areas to provide better drainage. An easy weekend project.

Flashing is missing above the vehicle door, above the side garage door, and above the rear kitchen door. These areas may leak unless properly flashed. Have checked by contractor and repaired as necessary.
Yeah, replace the flashing but the fact that it is missing is no big deal.

water damage was found at the lower exterior trim, lower door jamb and door core at the side garage door. The weather stripping is also damaged at this door.
Replace the weather stripping ($5 job). You'll need to look at how your ground slopes at this area to cause the water damage and consider a way to reroute the water (drains in yard) or improve the slope around the door.

SITE ELEMENTS:

The rear yard slopes towards the rear patio. This patio will collect water until it drains away between patio blocks.
This is the biggest problem in my opinion. The sellers prob put in the patio themselves or paid very little to have it done. You will definitely want to negotiate over this one as it can cost a decent amount of money to fix depending on the severity. You could possible regrade it or put in drain lines but without seeing it, it is hard to know.

INTERIOR ELEMENTS:
Cracked window glass was found at one window in the front center dormer
Window should be replaced.

The gas logs in fireplace did ignite but some of the fake logs are missing. Replace all missing logs.
Cosmetic. I'd ask for replacements but it would definitely not be a deal breaker. You can replace them yourselves for pretty inexpensively.

The attic access door in the green bedroom does not latch when closed.
Again cosmetic.

The lights in the garage, the light in the master bath vent fan, and the oven light are not functional.
Are the bulbs burnt out or is there an electrical problem? Most inspectors will have a spare bulb to test this with. If it is electrical, there might be something to worry about.


I'm not a home inspector or anything like that, but I have bought 3 houses and the inspection is one of my favorite parts :)

[fuzzy]

On our first house, none of the flashing was installed. As a result, we had to replace many of the doors -- there was significant water damage and carpenter ant damage in all the door jams.

If you ask me, flashing is a nessecity. That said, its not hard to install, provided there isn't a deck right there. We couldn't install flashing around our doors because the house had a large deck off the back. In order to install the flashing, we would have had to dismantle the deck. So, see if you can ask your inspector how hard/easy it would be to install the flashing. If there's already water damage visible (or damage wasn't visible but once you removed the doors, it was extensive) I'd assume that its a project that could not be put on the back burner.

[amorey]

We looked at a house with a damaged roof, but we ended up not buying it because we couldn’t get insurance on it without repairing the roof right away. This could be a problem of you don’t plan on replacing it.

[scout]

We had a home inspection on a house that was only five years old and there were issues as well. As someone else mentioned, no house is perfect, and there are going to be things wrong. You have to decide if the issues are fixable. If so, you have to decide if you are willing to fix them, or if you want to negotiate with the seller to have them fix them. You can ask them to fix it before you move in, or you can request a credit. When we sold our condo, the home inspector found a cracked window, the back burner in the stove didn't work, and he wanted the dryer vent replaced. We offered a $200 credit to the buyer.

In the house we're buying, we found the furnace vent rusted through, high radon and some electrical issues. We requested a credit since the seller wouldn't fix the issues.

The seller of your home will most likely want to rectify the issues, because even if you back out of the contract, the next buyer will have the same issues.

[jude29]

I posted something similar a while back and didn't get a lot of responses so I am more than happy to respond to this. Since I posted my question we've come a long way.

During our inspection they found termites in the garage, severe water damage and rotted wood and mold in the garage add on, and a major chimney problem. The roof needs to be replaced within the next couple of years and some of the electrical stuff needed to be upgraded.

I had no idea what to do or what was reasonable to ask the sellers to do. DH is an electrician by trade so he can fix all of that stuff. It's pretty minor.

I agree with the previous posters in that you should focus on the stuff that is serious like the rotted wood, and possibly the roof. The flashing is an easy repair and I don't see why the sellers wouldn't correct that problem.

You may ask the sellers to repair or replace the roof and the rotted wood before closing. It seems that most sellers make those types of repairs or figure out a way to pay for them because it's a tax right off for them.

The cosmetic stuff you can work on yourself when you move in.

In our case we asked the sellers to replace the chimney and the fireplace, treat for termites and repair the mold and water damage in the garage add on or just tear the add on off completely. We were biting our nails thinking there is no way they would do it, but we got the answer back today and they are going to do it! :D

I wish you the best of luck!!

[MrsSmith]

The roof is a MAJOR issue. You might not be able to get insurance if that is not completed. So, check into having that repaired before you take the house.

The grade can be repaired, but should be done soon. Most of the other things seem like normal wear and tear that you can repair yourself if the house is worth it to you.

Hope it works out for you. Keep us posted :)

[julietchicago]

Your attorney, assuming you have one (all states are different), should be able to walk you through this process. He will work with the seller's attorney and address any items you want fixed. They should either fix them or credit you. They may come back and only fix certain things and deny others.

You can sort of tell how a seller will react to inspection issues after seeing how he acted during negotiation of the contract price. If he was more difficult to deal with and wouldn't really budge much on the price, well chances are he won't be willing to fix much on the home inspection report.

I saw a deal fall apart because the seller did not want to credit the buyers $300, yes $300...isn't that sad? The contract fell apart and the seller found a buyers months later and got about 10k less for the house. Dumb, Dumb, Dumb!

Don't be discouraged by this. Like others have said, every home will have something come up on an inspection. I have even seen brand new construction have problems.

[calliope_muses]

The comments about water damage are a big deal. Not only can they cause you future problems, but some insurance companies are starting to decline business because of it. Water damage can lead to mold problems too - did the inspector check for mold?

[jasonsgal]

Thanks to everyone that has offered advice! i definitely did not expect a perfect report but didn't know what to do as next steps since I am a first time homebuyer.

We are sending a letter to the owners asking that everything be repaired so we will see what happens.

They have also been asked to cut back the vetgatation near the electrical box so that the inspector can go back and reinspect it (at no cost to us or sellers).

I guess I should of mentioned that we will be living 15 minutes from the ocean but not in a flood zone.

We are also calling the inspector (we have been "speaking" to him over email since house is 7 hours away) and asking him some additional questions....like if the grade of the yard is causing water damage to the door.

I will let you know what happens!

Karen

eta: The house does not have a basement.

[camberne]

I'm coming into this one kind of late. I've worked for contractors for years. You did what I would have suggested... ask them to fix everything and go from there. They can counter what they don't want to fix and the negotiations begin.

The electrical box should be fine. The big considerations there are the age of it and make sure that you don't have aluminum wiring. All the outlets that don't work, those would need to be fixed. In my area, a seller is not required to make any repairs that aren't structural or mechanical (which it didn't look like you had any major issues there)... meaning if it is just screwed up due to aesthetics, they don't have to do anything. ASince a termite inspection is required prior to closing, the moisture problem should be addressed there; however, I'd personally insist that all the rotten wood be replaced.

For the grading issue, they most likely won't do anything there. A really good system that we've seen locally for drainage issues is where they'd dig up about 12-18" along the trouble area, install a gravel (larger stone) drainage pool, then you can sod over the affected area.

Depending on how old the roof is would determine how upset I'd be about the shingles. If the roof is 15+ years old, yeah - definately factor that in. If it's under 10 years old, it's generally not a big deal. We had shingles blow off in a storm and it cost us $100 to have it repaired.

Hope this helps... but sounds like a good report to me!!

[miel]

What's flashing?

[jasonsgal]

Update...
Thanks so much for the advice. I just wanted to let you know that the sellers are paying for all of the repairs. We are moving in on target which is in 25 more days!!! :D

[MrsSmith]

That is great news! Congrats!

[PinkMartini]

Bumping this up with a question :)

We have an appt with our realtor for tomorrow to go over the inspections. I talked with him briefly on the phone today and he said nothing major showed up (although the pest inspection hadn't come back when I talked with him - he expected it back sometime today). A few things with the roof (?); windows that weren't sealed; something needs to be done with the wood stove chimney (?); ect. All pretty minor things.

So I'm wondering what the best course of action would be. There's nothing in our contract re: inspections, other than the standard "Seller to approve any repairs" so I guess we'll go in and negotiate with them.

Would it be best to see if they'll fix everything? Obviously we want the roof fixed (whatever's even wrong with it, we'll see tomorrow) but DH is pretty handy, so I'm sure he could fix the minor issues. Is it better to have them only fix the major (minor) stuff? What do you all experienced home buyers/sellers suggest?

(This is our very first house - so we're pretty clueless when it comes to this stuff)

[laura]

Well I would want them to fix as many things as they are willing to fix, but it really depends on your market. Also, it is harder to negotiate with them now, depending on the contingencies of your offer. We had a contingency for a termite inspection, but due to the way the market is in our area, we pretty much expected to be ready to pay 100% of any termite damage ourselves, or walk away. In a different market, if there was damage (there wasn't for us), we could have tried to negotiate them paying all or part of the repairs due to our contingency (ie. they face us walking away if they don't agree). Without a similar contingency, you lose a lot of your bargaining power. Though anything is certainly possible, and it doesn't hurt to ask. Your realtor should have a good sense of what is reasonable to request.

[PinkMartini]

Without a similar contingency, you lose a lot of your bargaining power. Though anything is certainly possible, and it doesn't hurt to ask. Your realtor should have a good sense of what is reasonable to request.

I think we have a contingency... I know we had our realtor put down that if we weren't happy with the inspections/negotiations we'd be able to leave the contract without any penalties. Is that what you mean?

[laura]

Yes, that is a contingency, but there is usually a time limit on it. For example, ours was 5 days.

[ee_chick]

It depends on the market and the sellers, pink martini. When we bought our first house, we asked that the sellers fix everything that our inspector had placed in the summary. They said yes to most, no to some and that was fine with us. There was nothing in the report that would have made us walk away from the house.

For our second home, we asked for only major repairs, and they still gave us a very hard time. There were only a few things that we were willing to walk away over, and we had our realtor make it very clear to them what they were. They fixed those things (kind of, we later found that they had forged some of their receipts) and we went forward with the purchase of the house.

We had offered on another home and their contingencies (only $x towards any inspection findings) made us decide that we didn't want the house badly enough to deal with what was sure to be a problem-filled escrow and ownership.

Like laura said, your realtor should be able to guide you as to what is reasonable and what isn't. You just need to know which things, if any, will make you exercise your right to not purchase the house.

[Toonces]

pink martini ~ were you or your DH not present at the home inspection? Did you not receive a copy of the report? I don't know if that varies by state. Our contract (IL) indicated we had 5 days from signing the bid contract to have the home inspected. We were there, as was the seller's realtor, and the inspector. We recd a 27 page report on the spot (I don't think that's common, but they should at least give you the details). We're now sharing the report with our atty and will move fwd from there - some things we'll ask the sellers to fix, other things we'll let slide, we may ask them to knock some money off the price we offered, but everything is negotiable, through our atty.

Personally, I'd want an estimate for how much the big ticket items cost to repair and then I'd ask that the sellers knock that off the price. If you ask them to fix it, they'll either do it themselves (and who knows if it'll get done correctly), or they'll probably hire it out cheaply. I'd recommend talking with your atty about all of this.

[PinkMartini]

pink martini ~ were you or your DH not present at the home inspection? Did you not receive a copy of the report? I don't know if that varies by state. Our contract (IL) indicated we had 5 days from signing the bid contract to have the home inspected.

<snip>

If you ask them to fix it, they'll either do it themselves (and who knows if it'll get done correctly), or they'll probably hire it out cheaply.

No, neither of us were present during the inspections. We'll receive a copy of the reports (there were 4 or 5 different inspections done) today when we meet with our realtor.

I looked over our contract and it says we have 17 days from our offer to have the inspections done and any negotiations sent to the sellers. So today we're going in to figure all of this out. And then they have 7 days to get back to us on what they're willing to fix/not fix. And then it goes from there.

They live up in Oregon (the house is vacant) so I'm guessing if they were to fix something, they'd be hiring someone to do it. And I swear I read somewhere on our contract (or maybe our realtor said something) that we're the one's who choose what co does the repairs... I could be mistaken though :confused:

DH also suggested seeing if we could get them to knock down the price on anything they don't want to fix. Anyone know how that works? Since we're already approved for the original offer amount, if they decide to give us X amount of $$$ off (for repairs) is that usually cash at close of escrow? Or?

[SiValleySteph]

What does your agent say?

Our agent told us to come in with a strong offer and then we knock it down as we find things wrong with the prop. Little things we'll just ignore. Also, she said NOT to have the buyer's do the repairs because they may try to do it just as cheaply as possible.

You have a long contigency period, so I'm guessing it's more of a buyer's market in your area. That will help your negotiation ability. You can probably knock $$ off the price or get $$ back at closing, I would think.

[IrishEyes]

It's up to you.

If there are major issues (roof, foundation, etc.), then you may want to request a reduction in price. If their are minor issues, then you can request the seller fix them or reduce the price and you fix them.

We had 5 minor issues. We have a small child and didn't have the time to do them ourselves. We filled out an addendum to the contract with the request that they fix these ittems and the seller agreed to fix them. I believe the issues included a broken pane of glass that needed to be replaced and a live, exposed wire that needed to be fixed.

[PinkMartini]

Well we just got home from meeting with our realtor to go over the inspection reports...

All in all they were good.

Roof is original (16 years old) and looks like it'll need to be replaced within the next 2-3 years. No leaks though.

Wood stove is missing some stability bricks that will need to be replaced.

3 of the dual pane windows are missing their seals so vapor gets in between the panes.

Screens are missing on a few of the windows.

Deck is going to need to be replaced within 10 or so years (it's un-covered).

Water heater needs to be stabalized. (State law)

Pest inspection came back ok - grounds need to be chemically treated - some boards on the deck need to be replaced - no live termites found.

A few other minor things....

Soooooo we have an apt on Saturday morning to meet with our realtor to go over what we want fixed. DH's thinking replace the 3 windows (or fix if they can repair them); fix the water heater; replace the bricks on the wood stove; and see if they'll go half on putting down a new layer of shingles on the roof; and they already agreed to doing the pest repairs (that was part of the original offer).

They then have 7 days to get back to us and let us know what they'll agree to fix/not fix.

Sooooooooooo all in all, good outcome. I was so scared that there would be something MAJORLY wrong with the house, like it was too good to be true, ya know? Nothing above is something we'd walk away from the sale over (well at least I wouldn't - haven't talked to DH about it) so I'm pretty sure the house is ours.

[pixielou]

just a curiosity question - as i've been reading some of these threads - is it common in california (and other parts of the country) to have the sellers do inspections? or not attend as a buyer?

here in massachusetts, i've rarely heard of a seller doing an inspection. and even if the seller did one, the buyer almost always does an inspection, pays for it and attends.

~pixie

[ee_chick]

I think it depends on which part of CA you're in. I'm just outside of LA, and I've never seen a seller inspection. Typically in my area, buyers are responsible for selecting and paying the inspector. We attended the tail end of our inspections, but I know people that haven't.

[IrishEyes]

I'm on the East coast, but I've heard of the idea of the seller having an inspection of some sort done before putting the house on the market to know ahead about issues and have them fixed. I've never done it myself.

With our two house purchases, we've gone to the home inspections and followed the inspector around. We have not been present for the other inspections (well, septic, water testing) that we've had done. The seller has not attended the inspections in either case.

I like being present for the inspections, because it's a good chance to get a tour of the nuts and bolts of the house and the inspector usually demonstrates or points out important items that we should pay attention to.

[SiValleySteph]

just a curiosity question - as i've been reading some of these threads - is it common in california (and other parts of the country) to have the sellers do inspections? or not attend as a buyer?


I'm in Silicon Valley area and it seems very common for the sellers to do inspections ahead of time. As a buyer, you will generally do your own inspection and attend during the contengency time frame. I think it's so common because houses sell fast, often with no contengencies and a short escrow, so it's in the best interest of the seller to protect themselves by doing the inspections. That way there is no way the buyer can claim the seller did not disclose something.

[laura]

Our seller did a home inspection prior to listing, and we also did our own home and pest inspection during our contingency period. We did not attend any inspections.

[lee60657]

It is interesting how things vary depending on where you live. We just bought and sold in Illinois. As sellers, we did not do an inspection prior to listing our condo. The buyers did the inspection and they paid for it. During the attorney review period (which is commonly extended to accomodate both sides) the buyers requested that we fix some of the items that came out of the inspection. We had some repaired by a professional and offered them a credit for some of the other items. Some were so minor that we refused to address them. With our purchase, it was new construction but we paid for an inspection. Thankfully, there was nothing wrong with the place, just a "punch list" of cosmetic items that needed to be completed.

For those of you speaking of contigencies what are you referring to? When I think of contigencies I think of mortgage contigencies and home sale contigencies. Just curious what types of contingencies you are talking about :)

[PinkMartini]

We (as the buyers) paid for the 8 different inspections we had done to the house we're buying. The sellers previously did a pest inspection (right after they put the house on the market).

We wanted to be at the inspections, but weren't able to be (DH works 6am-5pm and I have an 8 month old son that I didn't want to haul up to the house and entertain by myself for a few hours).

[Toonces]

What inspections did you have done, PinkMartini? Just curious. We had a regular home inspection that lasted for 3 hours, but I think that was lengthier than typical, and the inspector is going back on Monday to do a radon test (didn't have the equipment earlier in the week). I believe the only other one we could've had done with this house was a termite test. Lead paint testing was not necessary b/c of the age of the house. Just curious to know what other tests people are having done.

[PinkMartini]

What inspections did you have done, PinkMartini?

We did the ones recommended by our realtor...

Whole home test
Radon inspection
Roof inspection
Heater/AC inspection
Septic inspection (also got pumped)
Pest inspection
Chimney inspection (there's a wood stove in the house - chimney got cleaned out)
And then the homeowners insurance inspection (inside & out to get us 10% discount)

[Toonces]

Thanks! :)

[laura]

We are speaking of home sale contingencies - ie. we did a 5 day contingency to give us time to get things done that would have possibly given us pause about purchasing, so we could have walked away if our contingent items were not in order. For us that was pest (termite) inspection and reviewing the HOA documents to make sure the property was not currently in litigation, etc.

[PinkMartini]

We are speaking of home sale contingencies - ie. we did a 5 day contingency to give us time to get things done that would have possibly given us pause about purchasing, so we could have walked away if our contingent items were not in order.

Same for us - ours was 17 days though.

[rileyandfredsmom]

I'm in TX and both DH and I attended the inspection...noone from the sellers party attended (that could also be because the realtor was a moron and the seller was even more of a moron). It was nice being here because the inspector showed us many of the things on the report that we would never have understood if we hadn't been standing right there with him.

We submitted the entire thing to the seller and asked him to fix it all and he agreed (honestly, I don't think he even read it because there were things on there we knew he wouldn't fix). Being 1st time home buyers we didn't really know what to expect but I do now.

I will never again ask the seller to fix any major issues, we will only accept credit. The most major item on our report was that the furnace had to be replaced, well, at the very last minute, seller replaced it...by using someone that would do the work on the side. And guess what, it was installed incorrectly and not the right size for the house. We almost had to delay the closing but he got it corrected and it past inspection, barely. Now, we are installing a new HVAC system and the technician came down from the attic and said "I don't know if you realize this or not but your furnace has been installed very poorly". So, we are paying him to make it all correct. Moron seller had just beaten us down and we couldn't take dealing with him for one more night.

Long story short, IMO, when a seller is trying to get out of a house and you tell them they have to fix something, they are going to do the bare minimum, use the cheapest materials and cheapest labor. If a window has to be replaced, do you honestly think a seller is going to shop for an energy-efficient, high-quality window??? No, they are going to find the cheapest window out there and stick it in. All of the windows in this house had to be replaced but I was not going to let someone stick cheapo-remnant windows in my home...we replaced them with high-quality, energy-efficient windows, ones a seller would NEVER spend the money on.

From now on, I will only accept money off the asking price...my home is too important.

[nancy drew]

just a curiosity question - as i've been reading some of these threads - is it common in california (and other parts of the country) to have the sellers do inspections? or not attend as a buyer?

here in massachusetts, i've rarely heard of a seller doing an inspection. and even if the seller did one, the buyer almost always does an inspection, pays for it and attends.

~pixie



i live in a suburb of chicago, and my realtor paid for a pre-sale inspection on my property (currently selling). its nice, because it gave me a heads-up about any issues. of course the buyers inspector found different issues, but since i had already had the home inspected and my guy found none of those issues, i know that they are just trying to get money/discount or their inspector doesnt know what he is doing. and i have a stronger case for NOT doing repairs or giving credit for repairs, since my inspector said the items didnt need to be replaced/fixed.

[Guinness]

I am on the seller's side in TX and just wanted to reiterate what rileyandfredsmom said but from a sellers standpoint. We gave credit to our buyers for things they wanted fixed so they could get them done to their expectations and then we wouldn't be responsible for how it is done. We had very minor things such as a ceiling fan not working outside (it does, but it is on a remote), a toilet that is a little too big for the area and so will leak if the tank lid isn't put on properly. We had the buyer get estimates for fixing things to their standards and they frankly can do what they want with the money (nothing has to be fixed . . . .). So really on both ends it is in the best interest of the buyer and seller to do credit not actually fix things so the buyer can get someone they trust to do the work. . .

ETA: As a seller we were advised not to be there for inspections because if for some reason the buyer backs out, you are responsible to disclose anything that came up in the inspection because we would become aware of it even if it wasn't based on any fact (i.e. the inspector - who was a friend of the buyer - said they should have the foundation checked). They did and there were no problems, but if the buyer had chosen to back out and we heard that the foundation should be checked we would have to disclose that to future buyers which might put up a red flag even if it wasn't warranted.

I also just have to add that not every seller is out to get you. We really love our house and are very sad to leave, but jobs take us elsewhere. I think it is sad that the whole process has to be suspicious on both sides. I understand why because there are people out there to screw you, but not everyone. We really want the buyers to love their house and be buying a good product. We have put a lot of work into it.

[hisdaffodil]

It is so neat to see what's common in other areas.

Here in Kansas, the sellers rarely have an inspection prior to listing, are highly advised not to be at the buyers home inspection (partly because of having to disclose anything they find out, and partly because of an expectation of privacy for the buyer to review the issues), buyers are highly encouraged to be at inspections, and it's very common to request the sellers to pay for fixes.

I'm a Realtor here and I've never had a listing with a home inspection ahead of time. I've only had 1 buyer who didn't attend the inspection, and I had 1 seller that stayed for an inspection. And I've only had 3 deals that had NO repairs negotiated out with the seller (and two of those were because they were repo's and sold as-is!).

[bethnjim]

We had our inspection last night on the house we are looking to buy. The list of things that were wrong with the house is overwhelming. There were active termites under the entrance way flooring, extensive termite damage. The windows all need to be replaced along with all the wood work around the windows because of rot. Literally could stick a pen straight through the window sills. The heater is original with the house--and it was built in 1953. :rolleyes: The bathroom faucet when turned on would not turn off. My inspector took it apart and apparently it is original too and everything inside the handle is completely gone. The basement has water seeping through the walls, which is the paint issue down there, the electric in the house needs to be fixed....

It was a very long day yesterday. We called the agent and basically said that we were withdrawing our original offer. My husband wants to go back in offering $50k less. I want to walk.