Seller countered home inspection addendum--now what?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We have a home inspection contingency. Covers: HVAC which has a cracked pan, new roof on addition, replacing some cracked windows that are causing moisture in basement, re-grading landscaping to direct water away from property. We really are not trying to be overly aggressive. Bunch of other stuff popped up that we understand is just part of owning a house. Again, not trying to kill this deal. Would just like some funds to help offset the costs of these repairs/replacements. Appreciate the advice people are giving. Hard to stay objective when you're in the middle of this.

Is this a joke? Why didn't you just ask them to build you a whole new house?

You're being ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

OP, if you cannot afford those items mentioned, you better not buy the house. It's very petty stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We have a home inspection contingency. Covers: HVAC which has a cracked pan, new roof on addition, replacing some cracked windows that are causing moisture in basement, re-grading landscaping to direct water away from property. We really are not trying to be overly aggressive. Bunch of other stuff popped up that we understand is just part of owning a house. Again, not trying to kill this deal. Would just like some funds to help offset the costs of these repairs/replacements. Appreciate the advice people are giving. Hard to stay objective when you're in the middle of this.

I think replacing the cracked HVAC pan and the cracked windows is reasonable (although the cracked pan is probably cheap enough that you could just replace it yourself). I would assume you aren't buying a house that has serious flooding issues and in that case, if you want the landscaping regraded, it's your problem. The new roof on the addition would be reasonable if there is leaking or a huge hole or something.

[Anonymous]

OP, people are going to have different opinions about what is reasonable or not. In the end, it doesn't really matter what others think -- it's what your sellers think.

You can always ASK, but they can refuse. But giving that they've refused already, I personally think you should think long and hard before asking again. I would think you should ask for a smaller $ amount now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:depending on the amount of offers and pricing it could go either way. You are basically asking for a 10k reduction in price, which is a lot IMO. Depending on the price point I think that bank may not approve that much money back.

np: It would just offset $10,000 in closing costs. The net effect for the buyer is more cash.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We have a home inspection contingency. Covers: HVAC which has a cracked pan, new roof on addition, replacing some cracked windows that are causing moisture in basement, re-grading landscaping to direct water away from property. We really are not trying to be overly aggressive. Bunch of other stuff popped up that we understand is just part of owning a house. Again, not trying to kill this deal. Would just like some funds to help offset the costs of these repairs/replacements. Appreciate the advice people are giving. Hard to stay objective when you're in the middle of this.

I don't see how you get to $10,000 on that list, unless the grading job is really huge, in which case you should have been able to see that before you bought the house.

The new roof is a non-starter, unless it is actively leaking. And then they should just be obligated to patch it, not replace it.

The HVAC? A cracked pan? Does that mean a new unit or is it a repair?

As for your husband's anxiety, well, you shouldn't be worried about trying to keep the house. You have the leverage here -- just walk. There are other houses. If you're going to play hard ball, you have to be prepared to leave.

[Anonymous]

BTW what is the price point of this house and the location?

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure your agent is giving you great advice. There are certain things which should be fixed and covered by the sellers.

The regrading of the property: I think that's a big wish list item and I'm betting it's the big ticket item on your list. I would balk to if I were the seller. FYI -- I've never done a home inspection where the home inspector didn't mention grading as something which should be done at some point in the future. It's never been a deal breaker, it's more along the lines of this is something you should do to maintain your home.

Is the roof not being done going to impact your ability to get house insurance? If no, then this might be something which needs to be dropped.

The HVAC: should be repaired. You are not asking for a new HVAC are you?

Are you first time homebuyers?

I think you need to ask yourself these questions:
* Do you want this house? I mean really, really want it?
* Do you have the money in reserves to handle the maintenance of the house on an ongoing basis?

[Anonymous]

There are certain things which should be fixed and covered by the sellers.

Wrong. The regional contract for this area was redone early last year and everything is negotiable now. The contract no longer requires the sellers to have the major systems in normal working order.

[Anonymous]

10k is a lot of money! Hard to believe your agent let you do that. I think your deal is at risk if you don't accept the counter. Replacing cracked windows and hvac pan seem reasonable. Roof maybe if it is urgent. Grading - definitely not. I can't see how the reasonable items add up to anywhere close to 10k.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

There are certain things which should be fixed and covered by the sellers.

Wrong. The regional contract for this area was redone early last year and everything is negotiable now. The contract no longer requires the sellers to have the major systems in normal working order.

This is true, but there is also no legal obligation to use that contract, and custom matters as much as anything else as a measure of what the market will bear.

[Anonymous]

I'm assuming they already used that contract. You can't switch to a different contract that doesn't have that provision in the middle of a transaction.

And as for custom, it is not customary to ask for regrading, or a fix for a roof unless the roof is actually leaking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There are certain things which should be fixed and covered by the sellers.

Wrong. The regional contract for this area was redone early last year and everything is negotiable now. The contract no longer requires the sellers to have the major systems in normal working order.

This is true, but there is also no legal obligation to use that contract, and custom matters as much as anything else as a measure of what the market will bear.

All of you who are quoting me should have finished reading what I wrote. If you notice I went on to point out much of what they are asking for is unrealistic.

[Anonymous]

maybe I am wrong, but when the seller counters, you can accept or counter, but if you counter, the seller can just say that there is no contract anymore, and you are done, the seller can find another buyer. happened to a friend of mine, the seller got pissed off and when friend countered again the seller said no and there is no contract. friend lost the house, who went to another buyer

[Anonymous]

I think asking for money for the roof is out there. Asking for money for regrading the landscaping is crazy. You should have only asked for the necessities the first time around, especially in this market.