Requesting Seller Repairs for Buying and Selling a Home

Published by cravat | Filed under Buyer / Seller Tips, Miscellaneous, Real Estate, Shout Outs, Uncategorized

For sure, a house requires repair, remodeling and you will never find a perfect home. All its structure like the walls, windows, roofing, floors, all has its own duration. Nowadays, warranty in today’s appliances does not seem to be significant anymore because the appliances bug down first before the warranty expires.

A home inspection does not choose whether a house is new or old. Whatever the case is, it will still have a list of repairing to be done. The only difference between new and old; is that the older the house has a longer list of repairs needed.  Next you need to identify which repairs must start immediately or if it concerns safety issues and to find out whether a seller / owner will agree to a buyer’s request for repairs.

A Professional Home Inspector

1.     Without any certification from the home inspector, sellers often are hesitant to settle for a repair from a buyer. Sellers often agree to do the repairs if they see other insufficiencies on the home inspection report that a buyer did not request. 

2.     All buyers must hire a skilled home inspector to do the home inspection before they close any deal. Do not hesitate to ask for credentials because most reliable inspectors belong to an association. 

3.     Never even try to think of asking your relatives or friends to this inspection for you. A possibility of overlooking a defect plus for obvious reason that a seller would not recognize your relative or friends opinion.

Aged Plumbing and Wiring

Ungrounded Electrical

All houses that are built in the era before 1960’s definitely do not have wirings underground and polarized receptacles. It is best to check city code requirements. Though, nothing is wrong about underground wiring but plugging delicate electronic equipment such as microwaves, televisions, computers or refrigerators, is not really a good idea.

Few sellers, agrees to rewire but mostly, refuses. If you are hesitant to invest in homes with underground wiring, you would rather opt to get newer homes.

Galvanized Water Pipers  

In time, minerals in water supply can cause build up inside the pipes; that usually occurs in house built before the 70’s. Galvanized pipes are also prone to leaks and rusts. Owners or sellers typically retain galvanized pipes and only repair areas that leaks. Some sellers replaces galvanized pipes with CVPC or copper.

Roofing

Roof certification is often being provided by the seller for the buyer and is issued by a roofing company. If the roofing company suggests repairs, certification shall only be issued once repairs are completed.

Water Heaters/ HVAC Systems

It is very expensive to replace this but it is not odd for a buyer to request new systems. Verify with your city code to know if you will be required a permit and the up to date requirements once system will be replaced. The typical life span of a heater is roughly around twenty years, for the water hear around ten.

Added Information

Remember, if the house is old, immediately look for major repairs and safety issues. Refrain from asking requests for things that could have been identified on your initial inspection like odd and uneven paint jobs or like a crack on the walls because the seller would most likely feel you should have requested those items in the offer. Not only that, the most important areas to check is the foundation or a wet basement, once this area has problems you may want to consider buying the house.