During a Boston area home inspection, it’s not unusual for issues to arise which need repair or replacing. Many times, it can mean a return to the negotiating table so the buyer and seller can hammer out the details of who’s going to fix what – or how much of a credit the seller is planning to give the buyer. When a home inspection discovers items needing to be addressed, consider these three tips to negotiate repairs.
Ask the seller to give you a credit for the cost of the work to be performed.
There are several reasons for asking for a credit rather than having the seller have the required work done. First and foremost, the seller has likely lost interest in performing work on the home, regardless of the findings of your Boston area home inspection. After all, the contract is signed and even though there are issues pending that need to be negotiated, most sellers are too focused on buying and moving into their next home. Secondly, if you can get the seller to give you a credit against the sales price you can use that additional savings to have the work done yourself – with you being the new homeowner and with the work being done to your satisfaction. Thirdly, with a credit at closing the issue of repairing or replacing certain items falls squarely on your shoulders, keeping it simple and not involving the seller to ensure the work was being done.
Consider long-range planning.
Keep future repairs or renovations in mind when negotiating with the seller. For example, if there are water stains on the ceiling that occurred as a result of a leak, ask the seller for a credit to repair both the leak and repainting or repairing the ceiling. You may elect to repair the leak, but put off fixing the stain until later – especially if you know you’re going to replace the existing stippled ceilings with a smoother treatment. Keep those and other items in mind as you prepare to negotiate on the heels of your Boston area home inspection report.
Don’t let others “see your hand.”
In a card game, it’s important not to let others see your cards because it will give them an unfair advantage and change the way they play the game. Use the same strategy during your Boston area home inspection. If you say too much to the listing agent about your likes and dislikes or about your plans for decorating certain rooms and how excited you are, you could lose your negotiating power. The listing agent may tell the seller, and it could affect the outcome of the credit they were thinking about giving you. For example, if you tell the listing agent you plan to completely re-do the entire kitchen, the seller may find out about it and be less inclined to give you a credit for repairing the kitchen cabinets or replacing a dishwasher. Don’t reveal your plans. Keep a “poker face.”
It’s probably good to mention here that you should always insist the sales contract be contingent on the home “passing inspection” by way of a Boston area home inspection report showing no discernible repairs that should be made. If you don’t include that in the contract and make the assumption you can always come back and revisit or negotiate certain issues after the inspection, you may be unpleasantly surprised.
In the event the property inspection is completed without any mention of needed repairs or other shortcomings, that’s good. There’s no reason for further negotiating. However, if there are items that need to be addressed and the contract doesn’t mention what to do in such a case, you’ve lost your negotiating power and may force the seller to consider other offers or back-up contracts if you elect not to move forward.
With that in mind, enter into the closing with a full awareness of what can happen. In the sports world the old saying, “It ain’t over ’til it’s over” means anything can happen while the game is still going on. It’s the same in the real estate world – a deal isn’t completed until the money goes from the buyer to the seller and the deed to the property is transferred properly. The lesson here is: “Be alert, stay on your toes and keep your eyes wide open.” Anything less than that and you run the risk of losing your negotiating advantage and making your home buying experience less than what it could be.
Don’t give “buyer’s remorse” any opportunity to enter the picture. Be happy and satisfied with your purchase. You’ll enjoy it that much more!
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