What You Need to Know about Negotiations During the Inspection Period
But 1st, What is a Home Inspection?
Mark Kelsey with American Home Inspections joins us to cover the basics of the home inspection and when one is necessary.
What inspection items are appropriate to repair?
This is a loaded question. Often times what is appropriate will depend on the verbiage of the contract and determined on a case by case basis. We do have some general guidelines we like to start with:
Safety Items
We always recommend starting with items that could pose a safety risk. Things like high radon gas levels, electrical malfunctions, loose railings, fireplace/chimney safety items.
Reasonable Items
Active termites, hail damaged roof, plumbing systems not properly operating, HVAC to be working properly. These items are very typical and reasonable for a buyer to request. The above-mentioned items may require a second opinion from a qualified specialist in the appropriate field.
Typically Unreasonable Items
Asking for cosmetic and/or mechanical upgrades, pest control prevention systems, new paint and/or flooring and landscaping. Many of these items should have already been negotiated in the offer if they were a concern to the buyer.
The more realistic you keep the negotiations, the better the chances of a win-win solution for everyone. Luckily, you have a Realtor that will help guide you through the inspection negotiation process. Together we will determine what is and is not reasonable to ask for if you are a buyer and/or agree to repair if you are a seller.
