I apparently must think differently than most people. When I go to purchase whatever house we end up finding, I will assume it's priced accordingly for the condition it is in and my offer will be based on the condition it is in. My idea of the purpose of an inspection is to make sure there are no hidden problems that I cannot see with my eyes.....termites, rotting, water damage, foundation problems..that kind of major stuff that would make you change your mind on purchasing a house.
We had our inspection yesterday and got the buyers list of "demands" today. Wow. Very nit picky and stuff that was already made known from the beginning and we priced our house accordingly. It is not a new house. The roof is not new. It has no leaks. It will probably need to be replaced in about 3-4 years. If we had put a new roof on it (and the shop and shed), we certainly would not have priced it as we did.
We had a good friend sell her older home recently. She's a tough lady - when her inspection came back with all this nit picky stuff she just told them nope. It sells as is. And she didn't go into her new home making any demands to fix this or that. She did the same as I would do - had an inspection to make sure there wasn't anything major she wasn't aware of.
oh, and guess what she asked for, as we had been outside talking to her while the guy was doing the inspection. The shower curtain! (Cheryl will get a kick out of that, huh?!) Then as we were walking her through some things and DH telling her where main water valve is on the property and stuff like that, she's asking for half of my yard decorations. Are you leaving this...are you leaving that? I can be super generous.....up to a point.
They say when you remodel you only get a fraction of the cost back in sale price. I wonder if that's true wirh replacing a roof so if you had replaced it for $5000 if that would mean you could actually up your sale price by $5000. Curious what some of her other "requests" were especially any funny ones!
ReplyDeleteI don't know on that either, I just know if this place had a new roof on it, we certainly would have listed it at a higher price. The other stuff was to re-caulk some siding base trim in a few spots. It's summer - the stuff expands. In winter it closes back up. DH fixed it. There was a heat duct in the crawl space that was a bit smushed (probably from when guys did the work underneath).....so DH "un-smushed it". Add a carbon monoxide detector. Umm...there is one. Put in new smoke detectors and have the furnace serviced.
Deletethe other stuff she asked for was just as we were walking around and showing her stuff. Mostly it was my yard stuff - like the little free standing fire pit, my bird houses, etc. She even asked for the garden hoses!
We never entertained things like that when we sold. If an offer was made, we either accepted or countered, figuring they built what they wanted, ie: new countertops into their offer. Anyway,I thought you already accepted the offer? Also, the way I understand it, anything fixed, ie: bolted to the wall or ceiling, stays, like a ceiling fan, blinds, or attached shelves, unless you specifically state otherwise in exclusions when you put it on the market. This may include some lawn ornaments....can't recall as it's been a long time since I sold in WA. That said, your buyers are in the time frame when they can rescind the offer with no obligation to give a reason, so if I were you, seemingly hot to sell, I would just shrug and say "fine." Face it, tge less stuff you have to move, the cheaper your move will be.
ReplyDeletewell, the offer was already made/accepted and she didn't ask for these things in the offer. Now, after the fact, she is asking for all kinds of stuff and the inspection finding requests are nitpicky stuff, other than the roof - which we already said from day 1, it is what it is and the house was priced accordingly to it's condition and age.
DeleteI just find it very interesting that the intent of buyers having inspections nowadays seems to be to come back with a list of minor stuff. I even just did a google search on "purpose of a buyers home inspection": Too often, however, the inspection becomes confused with an opportunity to pursue perfection. Unless the home you are purchasing is new construction, it will not be perfect. But, you owe it to yourself and the seller to remember that unless the home is new, it is not and will never be again.
Our realtor told us anything not bolted is ours to take, but now she is asking for all this stuff. I'm generous and hard to say no, but it's all just stuff I'll have to replace and pay for, if I just give it to her. I guess I just felt that after walking around with her and saying yes to all the things she was asking to stay (that weren't in her offer) that she really didn't need to be picking out stupid stuff from the inspection. DH has already "fixed" 3 of the things on her list - just minor cosmetic things that come with an aging house.
Buyers will suck you dry. They figure you want to sell and they will take everything they can. Really, she needs the shower curtain. I would talk with my realtor about all my lawn ornaments, there has to be a limit. Know you are anxious to leave but still. Cheryl
ReplyDeleteOur realtor has already said we can take anything in our house or yard not bolted down or planted in the ground. This buyer did not ask for all this stuff in her offer, but rather is coming back now and asking for all the extra stuff. I'm happy to give her a little bit of stuff here and there, but it seems to be getting out of hand. I would never ask that of a seller. Guess I am just different. I would just say, if there is anything you'd like to leave, feel free and leave it at that.
DeleteWow. I can't believe the nerve of some people. When we sold our house we offered the lawn mower and weed eater to the man who bought it because we have lawn service where we were moving to. He gladly took that but didn't "ask" for everything else. If she can't buy a shower curtain she may be in over her head buying a house. lol
Deleteyes, that is what we are finding out - she is barely able to do this. She has a very good job (works for county) and also her fiance's income, but can only qualify for this amount because she could only use her credit rating, as his isn't good. She also said she is borrowing the down payment. When I was chatting with her mom, she also said she has been living with them the past 5 years and the only furniture she has is her bed and a dining table. But she also has some really nice hot rod/old cars, so she's made her choice where to put her earnings, just as we have. It shouldn't be my issue that she can't afford a hose. I'm not expecting anyone to give me all their stuff. Just interesting to see how other people think about things.
DeleteRidiculous!
ReplyDeleteMonica : )~
Don't leave her anything, as you said you will just have to rebuy it. Crazy!!!!
ReplyDeletebuyers are funny. We had to leave the drapes in one of our houses in our bedroom despite it matching our bedding set, which was on the bed and there were also blinds on the window which were staying, so it wasn't as though there were no window covers on it???
ReplyDeleteI guess she wanted the shower curtain because she liked the colors and thought it matched the flooring and counter tiles well.
DeleteSounds like she's asking for a LOT! Does she really want a new roof? Or is she looking for a "credit" to lower the overall cost of the house now? When we bought our home, it didn't pass the radon test...but it wasn't off the charts either. The owner found out and put in a very high quality radon detector for us since she knew it was our first home, we had small children, and she didn't want to lose the sale! No way did we ask for anything else since that was so generous! BUT, I think a lot of agents will try to write a lot of extras down as negotiating points.
ReplyDeleteShe apparently wants some sort of warranty that it will last 5 more years. I think we are being very generous with all the stuff we are adding for her (after the fact of her offer, which didn't include a request for these things).
DeleteAs someone that works in the legal side of real estate, if she is making these requests I would do an addendum to the contract specifically listing the items so that she can't come back and say "but you told me you would give me this!" She seems very greedy and her requests (shower curtain) is ridiculous. I've seen people leave lawn equipment or perhaps blinds, or shelving (even that is not required) but she is just taking advantage of you at this point. If she can't afford a shower curtain how will she be able to afford her mortgage payments? Don't let her push you around as the seller you still hold the power. You have spent a lot of time, effort, and care on your home both outdoors and indoors. If there is something you want to take with you outside you have every right. If she backs out because you don't leave a birdhouse when clearly there were bigger issues at hand. I mean what's next the towels in your closet because they match the bathroom or the soap dish? Make sure you draw the line. :) I'm so happy for you and this move but don't let them have power over you.
ReplyDelete