Home Inspection Results: What Repairs to Ask and NOT Ask For

Smart St. Louis area homebuyers get a professional home inspection of a property as part of the home buying process. While an inspection is not required to complete a home sale transaction, a home inspection performed by an unbiased professional is the best way to learn any issues associated with real property. What homebuyers learn from the inspection report can help them negotiate certain repairs or a price reduction to the property before completing the transaction.

While some items on the report may need attention in order to gain occupancy, other items may appear that aren’t worth asking to be fixed. Here are some examples that we have seen.

Repairs to Ask For

• Electrical service panels are an important and potentially hazardous part of a home. If the home inspection report fails the service panel, the homebuyer will not be able to gain occupancy.
• Water heaters seem harmless enough but without the proper functioning expansion tank a water heater could explode. Make sure this one is up to code.
• Major foundation issues can be very expensive to repair. If major issues with a home’s foundation appear in an inspection report, this could be a point of contention in purchasing the property.

Repairs NOT to Ask For

• Cracked boards on a deck. If a deck is sturdy but a few cracked boards or nail pop-ups appear on the home inspection report, it isn’t really necessary to force a seller to replace the boards on a deck. If the home sellers fail to fix them, would you want a few cracked boards to potentially ruin the purchase of an otherwise great property?
• Cosmetic issues regarding painting or cleanliness. These items are easy to fix after the sale. They are not worth losing the home if the seller does not want to fix.
• Sheds and landscaping are constantly exposed to the elements and prone to fast deterioration. These items are usually easy to fix with a little maintenance and may not be worth losing the otherwise perfect home over.

Based on the results of the home inspection, a homebuyer will have several options. If a major building code violation is found will likely need to be fixed in order for the homebuyer to gain occupancy to the home. How it is fixed and whether the buyer or seller fixes it is negotiable. For other issues homebuyers can ask the home seller to make repairs or can choose to ask for a price reduction instead.

While the results of the home inspection can become a major bargaining chip in the home buying process, it is not a repair list. Repairs to a home are always ongoing. And many homebuyers prefer to make repairs themselves their way or with their own contractors. Remember, home sellers are busy people too. Homebuyers need to ask themselves if some minor repairs are a deal breaker for getting the home they want.

Working with experience Realtors like Kelly Shaw Team will help. We know the most common requests for repairs and have seen many situations on what home sellers are willing to do and not do to complete the transaction. We will work with the selling agent to see what can be done. Or we will assist in negotiating price changes to reflect what the homebuyer may need to repair after they purchase the home.

Contact Kelly Shaw Team for a truly attentive real estate experience. Our services have proven to get the results that home sellers want and that homebuyers need.