Home buying & selling: What requests have buyers made to sellers?

[Mono~rail]

I saw a thread on another board about home buying and request for a repair. It brought up memories from when we sold our old house last year and bought a new one.

As a seller: What requests have buyers made to you regarding the house? How did you handle the requests?

As a buyer: What requests have you made to the seller regarding the house? How did the sellers handle the requests?

I'll go first. After the inspection on our new house, we asked for one thing to be repaired. It was a carbon monoxide leak in the heating system. The sellers fixed the leak and that was that.

Selling our old house was a different story. Following the inspection, the buyers submitted a typed list with 26 complaints. The biggies were wanting a new dishwasher (the old one was an 1980's-ish model that worked just fine) and new roof over a portion of the house (the roof passed inspection by 3 separate roofers who came and said nothing was wrong with it). Their complaints were a really ridiculous "honey do" list of minor things.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

We recently bought a house and we asked the sellers to repair several fairly minor items which had been uncovered during the home inspection, which they did. There are some minor repairs which we will have to make, but I think it is ridiculous to make a big fuss about these things.

When we had the final walk through, my husband asked the sellers if they would leave some of the (almost new) very nice industrial shelfing in the basement and they agreed, at no cost.

I do wish I had asked them to clean the carpeting (they had 3 dogs), which we are now paying for.

 

[imsayin]

As a seller: What requests have buyers made to you regarding the house? How did you handle the requests?

When we sold our house 7 years ago, the buyers made no requests during the required time (I can't remember exactly, but they had 2-3 days after inspection to come back with their requests). The day after the deadline, they came back with a list that indicated everything that was found in the inspection needed to be fixed or reduce cost(everything from the roof needing to be replaced in 5 years to a loose doorknob). Our lawyer told us to let them out of the contract if they wanted, but decline to meet any of their requests. That's what we did, and they bought the house as it was.

 

[Schachteles]

I can't even imagine making or accepting some of those requests...only thing that we asked for was for the sellers to pay all of our closing costs (we paid them asking price for the house) and then to have the furnace cleaned...only thing that I kick myself for not asking to have them do is get the sump pump installed...in their description of the house it says that it has a sump pump...well I don't think that one in the garage on a shelf is what they were talking about...LOL...so now we have to look at installing one...I have no idea how much that will cost. Hopefully not too much...we have lived in our house for 2+ years and the basket is always dry...which is so odd because you can watch our neighbors draining down his driveway anytime we get a good rain.

 

[Mono~rail]

I forgot to add how we handled the "honey do" list we were given. We had anticipated some things being mentioned in the inspection that were NOT. That really surprised us. We had anticipated these things and our "strategy" was to offer $3K off the price. Dh did most all the things on the "honey do" list (drippy faucet, new tub drain plug, etc.) in a day and a half with $150.

One of the things was a light fixture in a sun room that had been an addition prior to our purchase. This was also the part of the house that they wanted a new roof over. The light fixture was hung from the ceiling by a hook and the cord was swagged and plugged into a socket. The buyers wanted it "wired to code." An electrician came and said that the light fixture was technically a lamp and it did meet code. To put in hard wiring would have meant ripping out the ceiling and a portion of the wall which we were not about to do. Our solution was to unplug the cord and take the fixture off the hook.

 

[stczt]

We closed 2 weeks ago. We asked them to leave fridge (older buy gets us buy) and washerand dryer. We gave them 1500.00 over asking for that. we also felt we were getting a steal for this house, it appraised well over thier asking price.
I had friends sell thier house and people wanted everything, they wer'nt happy with the house then why buy. The porch rail slats were to far apart, silly stuff like that. they have them a 100.00 homedepot card and told them to fix it with whatever means they saw fit.

 

[Gillian]

Some buyers/agents/attorneys have the attitude that they can ask the sellers for every little thing and then the sellers have the chance to reply with what they will/will not do. Although this sometimes creates ill will, the sellers do have the option to say no! And the buyers are probably expecting that they will.

If you're handy and can do minor repairs as a buyer or seller, that's great! But some people cannot do even the most basic work (DH) and even things that seem small would be a pain for us (if we were selling).

We didn't ask for anything much, but our township has a strict inspection process that often results in repairs being made by the seller.

One thing no one caught during any of our inspections was that when the basement was finished, all of the electric was put on the circuit (?not sure of the words) for the sump pump. The sump pump is supposed to be alone. So when we upgraded to a more powerful pump, it overloaded the power during a rain storm and our basement flooded (while we were at disney). Now we have everything separate, with a battery backup. And lots of stuff in plastic totes!

 

[Gillian]

We closed 2 weeks ago. We asked them to leave fridge (older buy gets us buy) and washerand dryer. We gave them 1500.00 over asking for that. we also felt we were getting a steal for this house, it appraised well over thier asking price.
I had friends sell thier house and people wanted everything, they wer'nt happy with the house then why buy. The porch rail slats were to far apart, silly stuff like that. they have them a 100.00 homedepot card and told them to fix it with whatever means they saw fit.

Good for you!

The porch rail slats could be a hazard to small children, but it's something that's obvious when you're buying the house, so you know what you're getting when you make the offer.

I personally feel when you make an offer, it's based on the condition of the home as you can see it. If an inspection shows up unknown or hidden damage, that's what you should ask to be repaired once under contract. Things that only a professional would be aware of, or that you really couldn't be expected to see. You can even put obvious stuff in your offer, like $500,000 with $3000 back to buyers at closing for roof repairs.

 

[Chicago526]

When I sold my condo it was in perfect shape so the buyer made no demands!

When we bought our current home, we asked for a credit for the main sewer line in the basement to be replaced (it was cast iron and rusting through) and a credit so we could get the radon out of the basement (it tested positive for radon). We also asked for a few "little things" to be fixed but we weren't upset when they said "no", our major concern was the radon and the the sewer pipe. Also, they listed the furnace and A/C as "new" but when we viewed the house it was clear they were decades old, so we insisted on a seperate inspection of both by HVAC guys. Both passed, although the AC went kaput just this last summer and we're going to have to replace them both due to age this comming spring. If I had to do it again I would have asked for a credit for the furnace and A/C since the listing was misleading. We still got the home for a good price though and once we fix it up we should still make money when/if it comes time to sell.

 

[shades]

We are in the process of selling our house now. It is fairly new, construction completed in Jan 06. The sellers sent an inspector and they requested we fix these things noted by their inspector:

- broken clay roof tiles (we think their inspector walked on them and broke them, but the house is under warranty and the builder agreed to replace them.

- Appropriately grade the back yard so it doesn't deteriorate. (back yard is about 1/3 acre of dirt on a slight slope and rain has cause dirt to slide to back end. We agreed to return the yard to the original condition that we received it in from the builder. They saw the house and made an offer on it knowing it wasn't landscaped and we are not going to pay for landscaping for them).

- Repair crack in stucco. (builder is repairing this for us).

- Repair rain gutter so it drains properly. (It functions as designed and what they see is what they get. We aren't redesigning/rebuilding to suit their wants).

- Put a gas key in the house for the fireplace. (We never got a key for the gas shutoff valve from the builder. The fireplace is turned on by "light" switches. We agreed to "ask the builder for a key and would try to provide one.)

- The buyer ask that we pay all closing costs. We told them we would pay only for ours (what is required by law. They will pay for any additional inspections they want done. We are paying their buyer's agent's 3% commission)

Just yesterday, the buyers asked for a 1 week extension on closing because the buyer for their own home switched financing companies and delayed their deal and they didn't want to be responsible for 2 mortgages. No problem for us. We have waited this long, we can wait another week. We did receive their offer within 3 weeks of putting our house up for sale. They made an offer at $10,000 below our asking price and our realtor said they think we are desperate to sell since we had already moved out of state and the buyers are relocating to a new state, too and "assume" we feel like they do. We countered with a $4,000 reduction in our asking price and they accepted. Although, we had already dropped the price of our house $15,000 from the first day we listed because we truly did just want to be finished with the house. It's been a very uneasy feeling leaving a house with all of the utilities running (so the irrigation system continues to work in the front yard landscaping and the house isn't 900 degrees while prospective buyers are looking at it).

That's it. The buyer has accepted our remedies and we are working with the builder to get the stuff fixed and we expect to close next week. I can't wait to be DONE with it!

For both buyers and sellers, what are your experiences with the utilities? Are they normally left on for a day or two after closing so the buyer has time to switch them into their name or do you turn them off prior to closing? I don't want to pay for the buyer's utilities for even one day, but - turning them off will leave the buyer high and dry if they plan on occupying on the day of closing. Plus, the fees to turn on are much higher than to switch to another responsible party. Any input?

 

[kami2199]

As an appraiser and former agent, my opinion is, if you are buying an old house there are going to be things "wrong". That being said, I recently appraised one where the well was too shallow and a new one needed to be drilled. This I would require the sellers to do. Things like door knobs, etc, are piddly. If it is a new house, I would expect everything to be "right".

There is no harm in asking the seller for repairs though. A home inspector will find something wrong with a house 99% if the time. That is their job, to let you know everything that is right or wrong. Buyers should realize that no house is perfect in every way. But...the big ones are an exception...leaking roof, FA/CA units, water heaters, etc. should be in working order. Minor things - I think buyer's need to realize that an old house comes with it's quirks or problems. If nothing else, ask for the seller to pay for a home warranty.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

I always recommend to my buyers that they request - stressing the word "request" - that those items that are dangerous, affect the structural integrity of the home, or that affect the home's resale value be fixed/replaced.

When I'm the listing agent, I always pray that there is a buyer's agent on the other end that employs the same common sense.

Nothing irritates me more, than a buyer who expects every little item on the house to be fixed. Ditto for the seller who refuses to fix anything at all.

ETA: One of the first things I counsel a buyer on, is the inspection process (I'm married to a licensed inspector). I let them know that just because the inspector finds something, doesn't mean the seller is going to want to repair/replace it.

When I take a listing, I tell the seller that when the home is inspected, the buyer may ask for concessions. I tell them how I counsel a buyer and what I recommend be repaired when I'm representing one; this gives them a head's up about what may coming.

Both conversations help out big-time when inspections roll around.

 

[comicguy]

When we sold our house last year, the new owners asked for:

1) New bathtub faucet(old one had slight drip)

2) Leave work bench in shed(like I good move that monster, made out of 2X12 pine 10 feet long with built in shelving underneath)

3) Replace one circuit breaker(had slight corrosion on the terminal)

4) Instal Carbon Monoxide detector

5) Leave the sump pump(it is the same sump pump from when I bought the house 10 years ago, no problem)

All pretty simple, I accomplished it in 2 hours and $50.00 plus they paid 10,000 over our asking price for the house, so what was I going to say.

When we bought our new house last year a fixer upper, but better school district, less comute to work, greater potential resale value down the road.

we asked for:

1) 1 electric heat circuit to be broke into 2 circuits(potential overload)

2) Leaky drain pipe in the basement to be repaired

3) Cover plates to be placed on juntion boxes in the basement(code requirement)

4) They also had to provide a carbon monoxide detector(state law when selling a house)

The sellers of the new house did not really have a problem with anything except the junction box covers, they saw it as unnecessary.

 

[pandamom]

We didn't request anything when we bought our house but our realtor asked that they leave the kitchen fridge (I mentioned it was nice during our initial house tour) and carbon monoxide detectors. Sellers agreed to the detectors and the basement (full size side/side) fridge but not the kitchen. For some reason our realtor kept trying to get the kitchen fridge even though we said it didn't really matter to us. We didn't get the fridge but got the house.

 

[salmoneous]

Our seller - who wasn't happy with how low an offer she had accepted - said not to ask because she wasn't fixing a darn thing (she used a slightly different word than "darn".) She meant it too. The RE agent had to buy and install a smoke detector herself to get the house a CO.

 

[goofyforlife]

On our first house, they had a dog. We asked for extermination fees if there were any issues with fleas once we moved in. (Trust me, we got burnt big time once when we moved into a rental. The people before us were forced out of the house and even after the landlord had steamed the carpets, the house was so infested that we were attacked by the fleas on our legs immediately and it took bombing to get them out. )

There weren't any problems though...

On our more recent purchase, we only asked for items that came up on our inspections as health or safety hazards. (toilet not secured, rug on stairs not tacked down, broken outlet, leaking faucet and toilet.

There have been other items that have come up in the house since settlement but weren't something that you would find right away in an inspection so our tough luck. (such as the drain in guest bath that the builder installed incorrectly; the previous owners never used that bath much but when we moved in it became our DD's bath and the leaking water from the drain ruined the ceiling below with 6 months later.)

 

[Plantlady]

When we bought our house 2 years ago, we had the seller pay $2000 closing costs, and pay for a new roof.

We were happy that she agreed to do it.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

For both buyers and sellers, what are your experiences with the utilities? Are they normally left on for a day or two after closing so the buyer has time to switch them into their name or do you turn them off prior to closing?

For our new house, the settlement company took care of switching the name for water and sewer. I called the electric company and arranged for the electric bill to be put in our name starting the day of closing, so power was uninterrupted. The only other utilities will be cable/internet and trash pickup, which I will arrange after we move next week.

As a seller, I would not leave any utilities in my name after closing, as I am no longer responsible for the house.

 

[Skatermom23]

Our buyer asked us to fix all the items that the inspector found wrong. I think it was a list of about 12 items. We agreed to most of it since they were paying us $15k over asking price. We did scratch out the wording that a licensed professional would take care of some minor carpentry type stuff. DH was able to handle most of that. In think in all we paid about $1000 to repair some really minor things.