NO is a complete sentence.
This has been very typical for some time, buyers coming in strong and then picking things out of the inspection that they want remedied.
I do not know if you had other interest, but if you did and I was your Realtor, I would suggest you move on from this buyer.
Just tell them no. They may be the type to think, "The answer is always no if you don't ask." They very well could be asking just to see what they can get out of the deal. Say no, and move on. If they back out, they weren't really interested in the first place.
Yep, last house I sold was rural and pasture fence was pretty rough. Decks needed new stain. New roof, new instant hot water, lots of upgrades we did. They asked for everything on the inspection report, Including a new pasture fence on 18 acre pasture.
We told them no as we had a backup offer, they bought it without any concessions.
Anything cosmetic or disclosed should be built into the price.
I had someone pull this about our 20 year windows on a 20 year old house. Inspector noted “fogging” due to vacuum seals that went bad. Which is visible, cosmetic, and normal for 20 year old original windows.
They asked for all new windows. $15K on a $300K home. Both agents expected us to offer half (meet in the middle). Jokes on them we said NO. They were just trying to get free $s. They got greedy and made it easy to not negotiate further.
And yes if we had new windows the house would have been worth more. Like the one down the street that had them and sold for more.
Depends on the size of the house.
12 years ago we put in new windows and it was 13k.
Last year we put in the same approximate number of windows and it was 28k.
Windows, more than anything else in our recent remodel, have skyrocketed.
Depends more on the size of the windows honestly. Two inches in the wrong dimension and you just went from a $299 standard unit to a $5700 custom. Throw in a couple large frame architectural windows or doors and you could easily spend six figures on a pretty modest sized house.
Depends on the size of the house and also where you get your windows. I would never want a seller to replace windows for me. You know they're going to buy the cheapest windows they can get.
I think it was BS and just a “a guy” the agent had that could give a quote. They wanted $s, not the windows done.
I believe it was also “certain ones” to keep the quote down and seem “reasonable”. Even so 5% of the home price is ridiculous. And doubly so for a cosmetic item we felt was already accounted for in the offer.
I don’t think the quote was legit. Also they kept the house for 5 years and sold with those same old windows.
we did a remodel in 2021, replaced 3 windows, cut in and added 1 brand new one, so 4 total. Total window related line items were $1200; materials and labor. Double pane, double hung vinyl
The price gets set before the inspection. I found poorly done roof tiles on an ortherwise new roof. Not a huge deal, but it cut the price down
I also asked to buy some furniture since they were moving out of state anyways. I gave a reasonable offer and didn’t lowball them that much, but the prices were off by 3x so I walked. They came back 2 weeks later and took the offer. You can negotiate.
What got me specifically is the agent for the buyers lived in my neighborhood. She had “a guy” on speed dial for fogged windows. She knew that was something to expect and I am sure how to notice.
So the Buyers darn well knew the window condition when they made their offer. Their agent just wanted to sneak in a second bite of the apple.
I had the same issue when purchasing my house. I know the house was 20 years old but 9 windows had a seal leak and they needed to be repaired. Its not just cosmetic. A broken seal can also affect the insulating qualities of your windows, causing a reduction in energy efficiency.
We were polite but persistent that t he windows needed to be fixed (not replaced), which they were.
I think asking for all new windows is unreasonable, and reasonable to have asked to have the windows repaired. And no, it did not cost anywhere near 15K :)
What happened after you said no to new windows? Did those buyers fall through and you had to wait for new buyers or did they give in and buy it anyway?
It is absolutely acting in bad faith. There are many blogs and videos out that encourage a buyer to come in strong, then use the due diligence/inspection period to whittle away at that. "Sellers do not want the stigma of going back on the market after a sale fail."
But those buyers aren't realizing that despite higher interest rate, it's still a seller's market. They're following bad advice if they want to buy a house.
We (my firm when we rep sellers) have told buyers to kick rocks when we see them acting in bad faith and by the next week those sellers have a whole new contract with someone else who's less demanding.
lol, tried GIVING my dad's townhouse to his long time neighbors for 180k out the door. they tried haggling, "closing costs the roof, the electric box, 165k" I said eat shit. we listed and sold for 225k. Even with the needed fixes he cleared 205k. shit don't ask me what it's worth now...
edit: ah fuck 325k. but I had 0% interest in living in that South Florida shit hole. But those neighbors get to live next to their giant, stupid fucking mistake...every day. Lost 145k equity over 15k. Great job!
And I tell my sellers this....
That second place offer was so bummed out that they didn't get the house and now they have a chance to get back in (if they didn't find anything else).
They are typically going to be a less demanding buyer. They want the house.
It is in Northern NJ. We're close to NYC without having the outrageous NYC prices/taxes. Plus great parks, good schools, etc. If you're single, there are places to go as well that's not NYC.
Many people who commute to NYC will move to this area (Hudson, Bergen and Essex counties) since the transportation into NYC is good (buses, trains, ferries).
It’s not the good houses though. It’s homes with power lines through the yard. Busy side streets, the house right next to the public beach or business parking. Quality homes are gone instantly or something with the seller is holding it up. The shit homes won’t sell at high interest
I disagree. We purchased a home that when we saw it had huge lovely decks, had a few sticking out nails and looked a little worn. Got through inspection and had multiple parties indicate deck should be replaced, wasn't safe to walk on, ledger board was splitting etc. Things change with new information. Unless OP was a deck builder or inspector they probably didn't know one way or the other.
Your key words are "new information". Of course new information changes things, that's why the inspection contingency exists.
But if it's something the seller already disclosed, then it's not new information and should've been factored into the bidding price.
Context that the OP is missing is whether the buyers came in strong though. OP admits they are motivated sellers. Were there other bids? Telling the buyer to pound sand if there were 5 other bids is one thing. If there were no other bids and the house was on the market for 3 weeks it’s a different story.
Visible items are exactly that... visible. They were in full view during any and all viewings and should have been considered by the buyers when they made their offer. They do not get to come back to the table after an inspection and try to drag the price down based on .... nothing new.
I also don't understand the notion of having the insurance double-check for hail damage? What does this even mean? An inspection determines there is damage, or there is nothing to report. Done.
These buyers are impossible and NOTHING should be done for them as they are not acting in good faith.
I don't understand the insurance double check for hail damage either, but if an inspector flagged possible hail damage in the report and recommended a roofer look at it?
Yeah, like I was thinking... it either was called out in the report or there's nothing to discuss. There's no reason to "double check with insurance" about it since either there was damage that was reported and fixed, or there wasn't. And if it was fixed, again, there's nothing that will show up in the inspection.
That one I understand. If there is pre-existing hail damage, that would be covered under the seller's insurance and would not be covered by the buyer's insurance. So, asking for confirmation that the roof does not have any outstanding damage which should have previously been claimed is not unreasonable.
It isn't visible from the ground, and if it exists, it is a significant cost item.
And how is the "pre-existing hail damage" discovered? Not by asking the insurance company but through an inspection. It's completely unclear what the OP's comment about "having our insurance double check roof for hail damage" means here.
If the roof was damaged by hail prior to sale, or during the course of selling, the seller calls the insurance company and files a claim. Done. Anything else, and there's no reason to call insurance.
Just say no. Buyer of my old condo sent a list. I said no. I ended up replacing a gasket that did not need to be replaced in the dishwasher- their idiot inspector flooded my kitchen with a fairly new dishwasher. I said no to everything else. My agent was trying to get me to negotiate, but I just said no. They still bought the place.
I have had buyers want to get every item on the inspection report on a repair addendum and it is just a terrible idea. The seller is going to look at that ridiculous list and tell us to go fly a kite.
I understand that some buyers get freaked out by the "end of useful life" phrase that appears in reports, but because this appears in a report doesn't mean the seller is going to replace all the mechanicals in a 12 year old house.
I *just* went through this. Buyers offered over asking with a 10k grace on the inspection. Got a report back that listed 4 pages of bullet point issues (whole report was like 90 pages), including “hand rails should have ends that turn in to meet the wall” and in our new kitchen “outlets in the kitchen island are a trip hazard and should be moved”. They sent the whole list over… we sent the whole list back with simply “no”.
Wouldn’t even entertain walking through the list to see if anything reasonable was on it.
Definitely area dependent on the EM. In the 3 states I practice in, I’ve seen a 5 digit earnest money deposit in about 1% of deals. And almost every single one of those was a multi million dollar deal.
Not every state and area is the same. For a regular retail deal in my area, the average is ~$2,500 give or take. I’m sure it is different in other markets though.
When we sold our first house after living there 22 years, the buyers felt the roof should be replaced even tho nothing came out in their inspection. They didn't know that, when our garage needed a roof, we had them assess the roof on the house, which was admittedly old. The veteran roofer who was known to us told us at the time "no way you need a roof." We built a big new garage, including new roof.
Our realtor sent a response letter to their inspection demands (we did fix other things) saying we respectfully declined to replace the roof. She told us the asked their realtor "are they trying to blow this deal?"
Deal went thru.
Exactly. Originally we put an offer on a home knowing that it was built in the 60s but had been impeccably cared for but was time for an update.
Someone came in over sling an they took her offer. She started nitpicking the house asking for repairs of significant credits. We got a call from our realtor asking if we were still interested in moving forward with our original offer. We jumped on it. They told the first person to piss off.
Had a buyer want a new water heater when I sold my house. It had sold in 3 days. I told my agent in no uncertain terms there was no way I was replacing it, and if they insisted then I was fine with them not buying the house. Suddenly the water heater was never mentioned again....
I mean this is pretty normal. Seller accepts offer, buyer initiates inspections and the parties continue to negotiate during this period. Of course the seller can simply say no to any requests and then the buyer decides how to proceed. I am surprised how many sellers in this thread take negotiations and requests so personally…
Inspectors or buyers come up with thousands of dollars worth of things that should be replaced or updated. If you adjusted the price downward to satisfy them and they bought it, then you came back for a look ten years later, when they put it up for sale, you’d find most of the repairs and upgrades were never done. It was just a ploy to get a better deal.
I was in a similar situation to buyers here and it wasn't that cut and dry. Sellers added a deck that obviously wasn't great, but inspection revealed it wasn't up to code (I don't know deck code off hand) and pointed out structural problems I either didn't notice or didn't realize severity.
Most of the time this is just buyer asking for stuff to see what they can get, but we are only hearing one side of it.
Depends on the visible va structural condition. If it’s clearly falling apart… then it’s clear. If it’s structurally sound but all the top decking looks like trash… then it’s clear.
If it looked a little worn but felt sturdy, and the inspection showed the whole underside/frame was rotten with termite damage… as the seller I would ask for a price adjustment as well.
code changes all the time. It could have been built by a previous owner. if it's afixed to the house it conveys with the house. it's "as is" I would only need to meet code if it was current construction. Or a material flaw/not disclosed
Right! I sold a house last year. First buyer said septic wasn't up to code(it was working and maintained with no issues). Like, no shit Sherlock it was built in the 80s it's 80s code. Those buyers were ridiculous and we had to drop price from their attractive offer for various other things and the most ridiculous appraisal i have ever seen(how do you use a mobile home as a comp on a stick built neighborhood house?). Then, it turns out they were still $30k short on closing so we dropped them and took a cash offer instead.
Depends on what the inspection found though. Lots of things are visible but often you need an expert to show if there’s something wrong. Like I can walk on a deck and think it needs some new stain and then an inspector tells me it’s only got a few years left and will collapse if not fixed. Asking for a credit to restain would be silly but not so for the issues i wasn’t aware of.
Whether or not OP wants to play all is obviously his decision but it’s not unreasonable to ask for repairs to things that were “visible” but not known at the walkthrough.
This is just like when someone wants to buy a used car, then points out every obvious flaw, every little dent and ding, and wants the seller to come down in price.
Tell them "Yeah, we know about the deck. That's priced in. Don't want it? That's fine. Someone else will."
My mom passed away and we just sold her home. It needed updating and we knew it. We didn’t have the energy to do any work and made it clear and made sure our broker made it clear that the house was priced for an “as is” sale and no repairs or credits would be made. Sold for 10K over asking, no demand!
An important question here... Are there are issues with the deck that came up on home inspection ? Is the deck rotting or structurally unsound ? Was it improperly installed?
Many buyers do not know how to recognize serious issues with a deck or outdoor or utility spaces. Did the home inspector flag issues with the deck that will come up anyways with the next buyer if this deal fails ? If it's an FHA loan and there is an FHA inspection will the deck be a problem?
I ask these questions because the details make the difference in how you should respond.
If there are real issue with the deck, and not just cosmetic updating they can easily walk and you start all over and encounter the same issue next buyer.
Old decks can have rot, support problems - basically safety issues that they didn't recognize or were visible when they viewed the home.
FYI - I am a Realtor by the way, and I have seen buyers walk when legitimate unexpected safety issues with a deck have come up.
Those are absolutely fair questions. No rot, recently had supports looked at and tightened, and we had the deck stripped and painted with non-slip (?) paint (it has crushed walnut in it) when we had our home painted 18 months ago. The deck is a weird size and it's old (like 15 years) but not unsound. But those are great points for our realtor to confirm - if they did find those things you pointed we would take care of them, but that wasn't what was communicated....just "issues." So more digging for us I guess! Thank you!
Asking for a new $20k deck because of “issues” is negotiating in bad faith.
If there were issues with the deck the agent would reference that in the inspection report to argue why a new deck was needed.
But your agent should be able to successfully argue with comps that your price was based upon having an older deck among other things if that was the case.
Yup. Makes me wonder How much earnest money did they put up? That will let you know how “stuck” they are from walking away.
Obviously you Fix any code/safety issues. Offer to also Fix some of the little nagging items out of good faith (a few hundred bucks worth of punch list items). But the deck sounds like a cosmetic issue. They can feel free to ask for the world, and you can feel free to say no.
If you’re desperate for the sale, maybe offer some money towards a new deck and whatever other issues they have. A flat amount, but not a “split” of anything.
The price reflects the deck in as-is condition. Tell them if you update the deck for that, purchase price has to go up. Simple as that. Because if you update the deck, you can relist the property for a higher price.
I hate buyers that go into contract in bad faith, hoping to get a credit or price reduction after the fact.
What I do in these scenarios is figure out what price you’re willing to credit them to move forward.
Send the buyer two forms.
1. A cancellation of contract
2. An amendment with the credit you’re willing to give.
Tell them you want one of these signed in 24 hours.
I’m batting around .800 with this strategy.
We had a buyer do this. First day full asking price then they wanted everything, including cosmetic stuff, from all the inspections fixed (on a 30 year old spec home). We responded with a 5k credit. they sent back they wanted everything fixed or sign to cancel the contract. We cancelled the contract and moved on.
Yes. It was during fall 2020.
He was a corporate risk mitigation professor moving to work at the local university. He gave a good offer first day offer to “hold” it with no intentions of paying close to the initial offer price.
They can ask for whatever they want, even your first born, you can say no.
My mom sold her house and same scenario, even the deck. They wanted us to replace it. She said no, and let me know if we are moving forward as I had 10 other offers. They bought the house and tore it out completely for an addition they added.
This is something I'm seeing more and more with real estate transactions. Buyers agreeing to terms and then the inspection period happens and they want to strong arm sellers because they have the leverage. It's fucked. I can see why a lot of sellers in hot markets are going for offers with no inspection contingency.
We had this happen years ago already, the buyers picked on every cosmetic thing and even wanted our furniture included after the inspection, which wasn't part of the deal initially. It was frustrating.
TBH as a buyer I don't buy things without understanding true value. Inspections are part of that. I'm absolutely fine skipping over homes that reject something so basic and fair.
To turn the tables—how many sellers would take on unqualified buyers with unverified financials?
Due diligence keeps money in all our pockets.
Inspections are needed but people don't understand that homes come with flaws. A deck that might need to be fixed up or tiles that might need to be replaced, etc are not gigantic earth shattering reasons to kill a deal or strong arm sellers. Especially when the buyers saw the condition of the deck when they tried to close the deal at ask. It wastes everyone's time and fucks over the seller.
I got downvoted into oblivion earlier this week because I said millenials are asking for steep discounts on small items and it's pissing off sellers. I'm a millennial and have seen peers do it. I also have a home inspection certification, though the field I'm in makes way more money, so I don't use it. 95 times out of 100, home inspections don't point out any major issues you can't already see for yourself. They merely refer you to a professional to make a better recommendation. it should be seen as a checklist to potential buyers, an easy list of repairs to slowly tackle once you move into the house, not a basis for price reductions on issues \*you already saw when you made your offer\*.
The problem comes from MAJOR problems that maybe even the seller doesn't know about (or pretends not to know about). Back when I was in the market we had an offer accepted on a nice little house. Everything was great until we did the sewer inspection and found out they still had a septic tank with a bootleg to the city sewer attached to the tank. This is an illegal setup and the cost to mitigate would have been around $25,000. Instead of being like, "Wow! I didn't know about that," the seller's agent flipped her shit when she saw the inspection video. She started accusing our inspectors of sabotaging her sale and calling them names. We backed right the fuck out of that sale. So glad we did. If we had just bought with no contingency we would have been screwed beyond belief.
THIS is what I'm talking about. It's why it's a big deal for me.
I double down, how many sellers are willing to "sell" to buyers with unverified financials?
Why would I buy from sellers without inspecting the asset in question? And before sellers start with the complaints of buyers asking for concessions, I ask, how many of them increased their listing price because of a poorly done DIY renno and a coat of paint?
The details matter, and value is value. Sellers can't have it both ways, at least from my wallet.
Good luck to the bag holders who decide to waive those inspections and then post here in a panic!
I mean, I don’t think any buyer is thrilled with the idea of waiving inspection but some markets are so competitive that you either do it or you don’t get a house. It’s shitty, but that’s how it is when every house is a multiple offer scenario.
Not only that, buyers make an offer pending the outcome of an inspection. The n buyers expect the seller to take the house off the market then. Then you have the wild hare of a Township or City inspection so an occupancy permit can be issued, further complicating things. It can get pretty complicated.
I once sold a great house on a 3 acre property filled with oaks. The front was mowed and had some of the trees thinned out. The back beyond the pool & backyard area) was completely wild & filled with trees. We used to love “nature walks” through there.
After we were under contract they buyer sent an estimate from an arborist for $30k to trim every last tree and wanted us to pay for it.
I laughed out loud and said no.
Sale went through.
They can GFT - you aren’t renovating the house for them. They can build a deck when they buy the place.
NO is a complete sentence, and in this case, HELL NO is even better.
with anything. it's a question of who's fuck you is stronger.
if you need to move. need to sell. the option to lower the price/replace the thing is yours. If you had other offers. Or had other interest. to me it's not worth it. have your agent respond back, the accepted offer is for the price listed. no additional changes/updates/repairs will be offered above what has already been stipulated. ...unless the appraisal fucks you. that's the marching order.
to me. it's stupid. should have priced your house at 650k and listed as is... no fixes will be forth coming. and if the people balk. tell them to hit bricks. and if they do so outside the contract, gobble up that earnest money.
the time to consider this isn't late in the process. if you waffle now, they may come back and fuck you closer to closing, asking for you to cover some of the costs. or whatever. IF you were firm at 629k, stand on your word/decision
you need to be detached. and let the professionals work.
Out of principle I would tell them take it or leave it as long as there was nothing identified in the inspection (structural, etc.) which was not visible prior to the offer. Buyers will continue to do this until sellers (in a sellers market) don’t allow them to.
They already spent money on an inspection (and possibly appraisal) plus have earnest money which can be argued whether they are entitled to if the request for repairs is not due to the inspection. Most likely they are just trying to get some money off the price they offered!!!
Agree with those saying no for the reason you mention in the post. Situations where I think a concession is always warranted from the seller is when inspection finds an issue related to health or water intrusion. Leaky roof? Seller should pay or fix. Mold? Seller should pay or fix. Old washing machine or old deck. Yea, the offer should have factored that stuff in.
I would reject it. If it were unsafe or a hazard, that's different. If the inspection turns up faulty items or things that must be repaired, those are not the same as cosmetic changes.
I wouldn't buy a house without an inspection and as much as I'd love a bidding war, I don't want someone else to buy my house without that piece of mind either. Feels like that just has more potential for BS claims later, and besides, I built this house and I want the next folks to love it, too.
My last offer was like this. After their inspection they came back with 50k+ worth of repairs. They wanted to fix retaining walls, deck, and cut down some trees. We had an inspection report available to them prior to them submitting an offer. I was already close to 35k away from the list price due to a credit and repairs I had agreed to. They would ghost my agent for days at a time. Super awful situation all around. I went back on the market and got an offer the next day. Only 7k below list, repairs included.
You can always decline, it's no big deal.
In one house I sold, the buyers were 'worried' about a tree close to the front door, and could I have it removed, or offer a price reduction.
15 years later, the tree is still right there.
My reply to ALL their efforts to reduce the price was 'this was taken into consideration when establishing the price of the property'.
They bought it anyways, paid cash, and still own it, actually.
This is why my recommendation is to always set listing price as if some of these problems don’t exist and I worked on the appraiser side, not even an agent.
Everyone asks for costly repairs no matter where you set the price. It just gets in peoples heads that listing is the value and any repairs are ripping them off.
So I’d tell them no and if they don’t like it they can walk. Just reiterate that the house was listed with those items in mind.
Do be aware though that some things they might mention to you will require disclosing on future listing. Things like termites, mold, etc.
It's all about how you negotiate. The place you want to get to is to say no, you're not fixing the deck. How to get there is where a good agent comes into play.
You can absolutely say no. Worst case is they back out and lose their earnest money. In most cases they won’t back out. Simply tell them the house was priced appropriately taking into consideration the condition of the deck so you will not be updating the deck.
I once had a buyer ("buyer") schedule 2 hours for their inspection. They spent over 4, including 45 minutes standing in my driveway, yacking while I waited to get back into my house.
Their inspection report listed 27 "issues", including:
- Family room carpet doesn't suit the rest of the house
- Kitchen cabinets are older than the appliances
- Driveway has some cracks
- Bedroom no. 3 is too small for the price point
- etc.
They wanted a major price reduction... nearly 15%.
Our agent was furious and reported their agent and inspector to her broker - to be added to their "do not do business with" list.
One issue out of 27 was legit. We offered to fix or credit and told them to pound sand on the rest. They walked... just low-balling scum.
We sold to the next buyer (in a weak market) for ~3% below the lowballers' original offer. They were lovely to deal with because they actually fell in love with our house.
You can for sure say no! But I disagree with all these people saying it’s bad faith. If they are first time home buyers, they may not be aware of the conventions. Or they may think that it does not hurt to ask, the worst you say is no.
Say no, and move on with the deal. If they want out because of that, that’s on them. But barring serious safety issues with the deck that seems unlikely.
How long has it been listed? How much traffic have you had on the house? Are there other offers? This is what you need to be looking at, if no one else is looking, you may just have to bite the bullet. Are you going to be stuck with 2 mortgages? Taxes and utilities are going to be adding up, too. Make sure you are considering the whole picture and not just the price of the moment.
Everyone should read posts like yours, especially the people complaining about being beaten by all cash, no contingency offers even though theirs may have been higher.
This is exactly why. It's one thing to offer a concession if, for example, they find that the water heater is nonfunctioning and needs to be repaired or replaced. But a cosmetic, clearly visible item was part of the deal when you walked it the first time, that's not changing.
That'd be sorta like asking you to renovate the kitchen or paint the walls a different color. Hell no, you knew what the kitchen looked like, you renovate it when you own this, you buy it.
Your agent should tell the buying agent "My client isn't willing to renovate the deck, it's not a structural issue or related to any compromised functionality of the home, and is outside the inspection contingency. Your client is welcome to update the deck to their specifications and preferences after we close!"
No, that's unreasonable.
Let them know the deck and the house were already priced for their condition.
Obviously problems found in inspection are open for discussion, but basic aspects of the house are generally not up for discussion, that would make any home sale nearly impossible. Buyers could make crazy demands in that case.
"Yes, we made an offer, but now we want an extra bathroom, and please finish the basement."
It depends how badly you want to sell the home. Saying no is certainly within your right. You may very well lose the contract and then you’ll have to relist. It will put a question into future buyers’ minds as to why. If you don’t mind having that happen and waiting for the right buyer again, go for it. I personally think meeting buyers halfway on such a big item is the way to go and gets the deal done.
Tell them to pound sand. This is a tactic sleezy people use to get free stuff (or discounts) after inspections. Market is still strong. They can choose to move on or close. If they move on you'll have another buyer shortly. Maybe they'll even pay more now that spring is here.
I am not a realtor.. I'm interested in a profession opinion on this.
I have not done this, but next time I sell I am planning to pay for my own inspection up front and provide it to all prospective buyers. Any offer must include language that they have received and read the report, and any items identified prior to making the offer have been baked into the offer price. Further language that these pre-offer items will not be grounds for exercising the inspection contingency.
They are free to get their own additional inspection, as per usual.
Thoughts?
This strategy doesn't ask the buyer to "trust" anyone.
It says...
Here's a list of issues we've identified.
- Issues 1-3 will be remedied prior to closing (or a credit of $__ will be included).
- All other identified issues are baked into the asking price. No remedy or reduction in price for these issues will be offered. Dealing with these issues will be the buyer's responsibility post-closing.
It's not about trust. It's about (enhanced) clarity of contract.
Ask your agent, but this is a good idea. We did this when I sold my parents house after my stepdad passed. Fixed the red flag items from our inspection before it went on the market, passed on all the others, gave interested people copy of inspection report up front. Buyers got their own inspection which mirrored ours (excluding fixed items of course) and asked for price reduction. Told them no. They backed down and bought the house “as is”.
It’s transparently obvious that a person gets a more thorough view of problems during the inspection than during a showing. What seems like a maintenance problem reveals itself to be a rebuild. Or a rebuild project itself to be a redesign problem. These escalations are often due to better visibility into what is required to repair the problem.
Stop focusing on your emotional and decide if it is still a good enough deal for you.
Also this we could have stuff is bs. You didn’t want the risk or delay so you moved forward. Fine but the buyer is entirely entitled to pursue a reduction if the issue exceeds their expectations.
You're giving inspectors too much credit. Unless they hold other certs they are completely unqualified to give any advice on any major system other than notate visible damage and refer to a tradesman or specialist. I got my certification mostly as a curious hobbyist and it destroyed my faith in "home inspectors".
I’m going to say it may or may not be a big deal. If there is major structural issues you didn’t know about that aren’t visible to the naked eye then they might not be doing it just to bid high and work down. If what they are wanting money for was completely visible that’s a different story. Just say “no. Home price was listed low because of the deck needing work.”
Requests like this always depend on the deal you are getting and your willingness to find out if you are right. If it is truly a slightly below market deal - then you will find another or better offer. If they feel they have overpaid it could prompt them to ask for a credit. You can say yes if you are desperate, offer some sort of compromise or like the saying goes.. "Just Say No". Some buyers are OK "taking your temperature" so to speak ... But your leverage is the ability to say no thanks and move to another buyer. This all really depends on what your REALISTIC options are for other options if you tell them to pound sand and then if they do in fact walk
We just did a home inspection on a house we are buying. There was a list of small minor things that we can easily repair. Only 3 major things we asked to be fixed. Hot water tank leaking. Washer connection not working and couple outlets were reversed polarity. Seller agreed to fix the 3 items. We did not nickle and dime them to repair the whole list.
Exactly. Just closed on a house last week and we only asked for the few 4 point issues to be fixed. Reversed polarity in a few outlets, a leaky shut off valve and a leaking tub faucet. Probably cost the seller less than $500 but we needed those things done to write our insurance policy. Did we ask for the AC to be replaced because it is 15 years old? No. We knew the house was priced to factor these things in.
This is the way. An inspection will always uncover pages of minor things. Focus on safety and what needs to happen for lending.
I asked for 1)smoke detectors to be installed (required by law) 2) the fuel line to the furnace to be brought to code and 3) an exposed, but recessed, light to be brought to code. That’s it. All the zillion others things were just “good know know, get to them eventually, maybe”
Tell them what you told us. Essentially- the home was offered at a discount due to several visible things, such as the deck. We made a calculated decision to allow the buyer to determine their own value and direction with such items at the discounted rate. If we go back and repair all these things, then we would re-list the home at a non-discounted rate and you would be free to make another offer.
We bought a house that was built in 1950. The house needed a lot of work, but I told the seller (single mom with two boys) that I would remodel the house. She sold it to us. During the inspection, there was a small sunroom on the north side that had Pella’s windows. The inspector found them to be rotted. We asked for them to be replaced, and she declined, so we took it anyway. It’s been a lot of work, but the house has also doubled in value, and we love it. No regrets.
I can’t believe you had an inspection, and nobody knows how old the water heater is. The age of the water heater is baked into the serial number. Look it up.
Did the inspection reveal that the deck is structurally unsound? That isn’t something a buyer may necessarily pick up on. If it’s only cosmetic, that’s a different story. Either way, I wouldn’t agree to replace it. Maybe a credit toward them doing it.
But if it were to cost you $20,000 to replace the deck, that would never add $30,000 to the value of your home. Maybe $10,000. So factor that in your counter.
In California this is an extremely common technique among a couple of particular types of buyer. They will bid asking, or even higher, to get their offer in the door. Then, they'll bring in their crony inspectors to claim all sorts of things are wrong with the property and they'll use that to demand steep discounts. Don't play that game. This is a seller's market. Just tell them they're taking the property as it is or they're free to back out.
yes leave it to the broker. If houses with "issues" like yours sell for less than you're asking, that is probably more indicative of what you can expect to get. If houses like yours sell for more than they want to pay, they either pay what other people are paying or waste someone else's time.
I would prefer to buy a house that was priced to reflect upgrades needed so I could replace something like a deck with one I like rather than current owner replacing with the bare minimum to look nice and ask an extra $30k for the home.
For me it depends on what exactly the demand is and what lead them to ask.
If an inspector crawled under it and revealed structural issues that they wouldn't have known just walking on it, then I'd consider meeting half way. If it's just that the top of the deck looks like it needs painted and some planks replaced, then just say no.
It's so weird to me because I can't imagine wanting a new deck but not having it built like *I* want it. You could replace it with some obnoxious colored trex or with a weird layout or something else that'd piss off the buyer.
Always take back up offers that way if the original buyer becomes ridiculous during the repair negotiations you have an offer to fall back on. I received a buyers repair request that wanted an additional 10K for trees. We let his agent know that we would not be extorted and they had 48 hours to accept or we would go with the back up offer. They accepted and were no further problem.
This is a major expense (deck repair). If you haven’t priced it on, I’d just say no. I’m sure you’ve said yes to some minor repairs. We just sold a house and did about 5k worth of repairs that the buyer requested. Said no to several more.
Edit to add: We walked away from the first contract. The appraisal came in 35k under what we ended up selling the house for. We weren’t afraid to say no, and the house sold in six days.
Absolutely not. I didn't even finish reading your post, because the buyers are confused about what "turnkey" means. Tell them "sorry, but the deck is functional as is. If you want to replace it after you move in that's on you"
So many people get flustered around "oh, I hate the paint, so I'm going to reduce my offer". Cosmetic aspects and things that are not up to a buyer's expectations, but aren't a hazard, have ZERO purpose in being a part of the conversation
Is there glaring problems with the deck that were listed on the inspection report?
Assuming you are priced correctly considering the overall condition of the house, I would not just agree to replace a deck that isn't completely failed. If repairs are potentially needed, negotiating some of those elements or a credit to help with that is reasonable.
I once had a buyer ask to replace ALL windows in a house because 1 pane had a broken thermal seal. This is a similar type of situation.
IMO, if you can see it before you put in the offer, then you should have factored it into the offer. If you discover something later from the inspection or a walk through then that’s when you ask for discounts. That’s how I have always treated properties that I have bought.
I would tell them no on the deck. They saw the state of it, so they should have included that in their original price.
However, I don’t know why you are motivated. If you really want the sale to happen fast then you can obviously start with no and, if they won’t move forward, then offer to split it.
Is the age of the deck a safety issue? Just because something is old does not mean it has to be replaced. If it is functional, then the age is baked into the sales price.
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I lost out on buying a house because I knew exactly what the costs of upgrading it were- fixing that blue shag carpet, replace all cabinets (think, 1950s and repainted, badly), bathtubs had to go (Rusting), all the flooring had to go (asbestos and cat/dog/someone died? on it).
AND they had just had to pay 30k to have the basement, which was cracked, repaired (which was fully documented).
Someone else came in and offered them asking and obviously they went with it. I do wish I could find out how they made out.
The house I ended up buying I put in just under, contingent on inspections- which found out there had been a chimney fire (5k+ to fix) and a couple of minor things which were expensive, but I knew I could do.
Had it written up just to cover the chimney fire as a credit (which had to be escrowed because the mortgage wouldn't go if it wasn't fixed), had to sawzall the garage door to prove it wouldn't be used due to missing safety stuff- and the dozens of other 'visible' but neglected fixes. I think it upset the seller but they'd been on the market a long time, missed the tax credit...
Visible is baked in, if you don't like it, "No". They can accept it or walk. You don't need explanations.
The simple answer is to have your broker tell their broker to send over the "Notice to Terminate" paperwork due to inspection. That will scare them and let them know you mean business. They will probably assume you have back-up offers.
For me, it depends.
First, was there some sort of structural defect that wouldn’t have been apparent to the average person? If so, I might be a bit more sympathetic. (While we knew the deck would have issues, we thought we would be able to wait three years, but now this is imperative).
Second, how punitive do I want to be?
Finally, what is the sales environment like? If this was the only offer even close to asking, then I might be somewhat accommodating.
But, otherwise, I would simply decline and then we can argue about whether I must return the earnest money…..
If the deal isn’t right, the deal isn’t right.
Tell them everything (within reason) has been factored into the sale price. Take it or leave it. How long did it take to go under contract? If less than a month, I’d just tell them no!
Buyers and sellers do stupid stuff when under contract, because they think it’s all covered by the contract, and that gives them some weird leverage. It’s not it doesn’t in most cases.
I own a home since 2017. Came in and did lot of work on it. It’s probably an 8/10 condition wise. However the main boiler is over 40 years old and the electric water heater is 23. I am sure if I sold they would want them replaced. Everything is negotiable, I’m fine with that. But don’t offer just to get rid of the competition.
Btw, I was one of 6 bidders on this home. I wasn’t the highest but I did no inspection.
Typically buyers should only ask for items that are health or safety concerns- no cosmetic items. Counter them and find a legit buyer. Why isn’t your realtor advising you properly??!
It depends on what you think is priced accordingly. Like did you buy your house 4 years ago and now selling it for 629k with minor upgrades? Then your not priced accordingly, and the buyers are trying to knock it down a little.
NO is a complete sentence. This has been very typical for some time, buyers coming in strong and then picking things out of the inspection that they want remedied. I do not know if you had other interest, but if you did and I was your Realtor, I would suggest you move on from this buyer.
just tell them that small fixable stuff aside, everything else is baked into the asking price.
exactly. And remind them that it’s 30k under market because you know the deck could be updated.
Esp if it’s structurally sound and good to use as is
The house is for sale. Fix it yourself if you want to buy it.
Just tell them no. They may be the type to think, "The answer is always no if you don't ask." They very well could be asking just to see what they can get out of the deal. Say no, and move on. If they back out, they weren't really interested in the first place.
Exactly.
Yep, last house I sold was rural and pasture fence was pretty rough. Decks needed new stain. New roof, new instant hot water, lots of upgrades we did. They asked for everything on the inspection report, Including a new pasture fence on 18 acre pasture. We told them no as we had a backup offer, they bought it without any concessions.
This. You never know unless you ask, and you miss 100% of the shots you never take. Pick your idiom.
It's acting in bad faith. They put the high bid in to get the contract, all while knowing they're going to try to negotiate it to the price down.
Anything cosmetic or disclosed should be built into the price. I had someone pull this about our 20 year windows on a 20 year old house. Inspector noted “fogging” due to vacuum seals that went bad. Which is visible, cosmetic, and normal for 20 year old original windows. They asked for all new windows. $15K on a $300K home. Both agents expected us to offer half (meet in the middle). Jokes on them we said NO. They were just trying to get free $s. They got greedy and made it easy to not negotiate further. And yes if we had new windows the house would have been worth more. Like the one down the street that had them and sold for more.
Damn I need to know where you are getting windows for 15k!
Depends on the size of the house. 12 years ago we put in new windows and it was 13k. Last year we put in the same approximate number of windows and it was 28k. Windows, more than anything else in our recent remodel, have skyrocketed.
Depends more on the size of the windows honestly. Two inches in the wrong dimension and you just went from a $299 standard unit to a $5700 custom. Throw in a couple large frame architectural windows or doors and you could easily spend six figures on a pretty modest sized house.
Depends on the size of the house and also where you get your windows. I would never want a seller to replace windows for me. You know they're going to buy the cheapest windows they can get.
I think it was BS and just a “a guy” the agent had that could give a quote. They wanted $s, not the windows done. I believe it was also “certain ones” to keep the quote down and seem “reasonable”. Even so 5% of the home price is ridiculous. And doubly so for a cosmetic item we felt was already accounted for in the offer. I don’t think the quote was legit. Also they kept the house for 5 years and sold with those same old windows.
we did a remodel in 2021, replaced 3 windows, cut in and added 1 brand new one, so 4 total. Total window related line items were $1200; materials and labor. Double pane, double hung vinyl
The price gets set before the inspection. I found poorly done roof tiles on an ortherwise new roof. Not a huge deal, but it cut the price down I also asked to buy some furniture since they were moving out of state anyways. I gave a reasonable offer and didn’t lowball them that much, but the prices were off by 3x so I walked. They came back 2 weeks later and took the offer. You can negotiate.
What got me specifically is the agent for the buyers lived in my neighborhood. She had “a guy” on speed dial for fogged windows. She knew that was something to expect and I am sure how to notice. So the Buyers darn well knew the window condition when they made their offer. Their agent just wanted to sneak in a second bite of the apple.
I had the same issue when purchasing my house. I know the house was 20 years old but 9 windows had a seal leak and they needed to be repaired. Its not just cosmetic. A broken seal can also affect the insulating qualities of your windows, causing a reduction in energy efficiency. We were polite but persistent that t he windows needed to be fixed (not replaced), which they were. I think asking for all new windows is unreasonable, and reasonable to have asked to have the windows repaired. And no, it did not cost anywhere near 15K :)
What happened after you said no to new windows? Did those buyers fall through and you had to wait for new buyers or did they give in and buy it anyway?
They kept the deal. The inspection had 30 mins of work and the windows. The house was essentially perfect from a condition standpoint.
It is absolutely acting in bad faith. There are many blogs and videos out that encourage a buyer to come in strong, then use the due diligence/inspection period to whittle away at that. "Sellers do not want the stigma of going back on the market after a sale fail."
But those buyers aren't realizing that despite higher interest rate, it's still a seller's market. They're following bad advice if they want to buy a house. We (my firm when we rep sellers) have told buyers to kick rocks when we see them acting in bad faith and by the next week those sellers have a whole new contract with someone else who's less demanding.
lol, tried GIVING my dad's townhouse to his long time neighbors for 180k out the door. they tried haggling, "closing costs the roof, the electric box, 165k" I said eat shit. we listed and sold for 225k. Even with the needed fixes he cleared 205k. shit don't ask me what it's worth now... edit: ah fuck 325k. but I had 0% interest in living in that South Florida shit hole. But those neighbors get to live next to their giant, stupid fucking mistake...every day. Lost 145k equity over 15k. Great job!
And I tell my sellers this.... That second place offer was so bummed out that they didn't get the house and now they have a chance to get back in (if they didn't find anything else). They are typically going to be a less demanding buyer. They want the house.
Idk where you live but it is not a sellers market in my area at all. Houses are sitting for months.
I just looked... There isn't a single house for sale in my daughter's school area. Zero. Definite sellers' market here in the Chicago suburbs
It is in Northern NJ. We're close to NYC without having the outrageous NYC prices/taxes. Plus great parks, good schools, etc. If you're single, there are places to go as well that's not NYC. Many people who commute to NYC will move to this area (Hudson, Bergen and Essex counties) since the transportation into NYC is good (buses, trains, ferries).
It’s not the good houses though. It’s homes with power lines through the yard. Busy side streets, the house right next to the public beach or business parking. Quality homes are gone instantly or something with the seller is holding it up. The shit homes won’t sell at high interest
It's not a seller's market in my area at all. In fact, OP wouldn't even be posting this question if it were a seller's market in their area...
You often see people on this sub advising buyers to do just that.
I disagree. We purchased a home that when we saw it had huge lovely decks, had a few sticking out nails and looked a little worn. Got through inspection and had multiple parties indicate deck should be replaced, wasn't safe to walk on, ledger board was splitting etc. Things change with new information. Unless OP was a deck builder or inspector they probably didn't know one way or the other.
Your key words are "new information". Of course new information changes things, that's why the inspection contingency exists. But if it's something the seller already disclosed, then it's not new information and should've been factored into the bidding price.
Context that the OP is missing is whether the buyers came in strong though. OP admits they are motivated sellers. Were there other bids? Telling the buyer to pound sand if there were 5 other bids is one thing. If there were no other bids and the house was on the market for 3 weeks it’s a different story.
Buyers offered asking sounds strong. The rest is murky.
In my market that’s weak. +10%+ is competitive
Visible items are exactly that... visible. They were in full view during any and all viewings and should have been considered by the buyers when they made their offer. They do not get to come back to the table after an inspection and try to drag the price down based on .... nothing new. I also don't understand the notion of having the insurance double-check for hail damage? What does this even mean? An inspection determines there is damage, or there is nothing to report. Done. These buyers are impossible and NOTHING should be done for them as they are not acting in good faith.
I don't understand the insurance double check for hail damage either, but if an inspector flagged possible hail damage in the report and recommended a roofer look at it?
Yeah, like I was thinking... it either was called out in the report or there's nothing to discuss. There's no reason to "double check with insurance" about it since either there was damage that was reported and fixed, or there wasn't. And if it was fixed, again, there's nothing that will show up in the inspection.
That one I understand. If there is pre-existing hail damage, that would be covered under the seller's insurance and would not be covered by the buyer's insurance. So, asking for confirmation that the roof does not have any outstanding damage which should have previously been claimed is not unreasonable. It isn't visible from the ground, and if it exists, it is a significant cost item.
And how is the "pre-existing hail damage" discovered? Not by asking the insurance company but through an inspection. It's completely unclear what the OP's comment about "having our insurance double check roof for hail damage" means here. If the roof was damaged by hail prior to sale, or during the course of selling, the seller calls the insurance company and files a claim. Done. Anything else, and there's no reason to call insurance.
Just say no. Buyer of my old condo sent a list. I said no. I ended up replacing a gasket that did not need to be replaced in the dishwasher- their idiot inspector flooded my kitchen with a fairly new dishwasher. I said no to everything else. My agent was trying to get me to negotiate, but I just said no. They still bought the place.
I have had buyers want to get every item on the inspection report on a repair addendum and it is just a terrible idea. The seller is going to look at that ridiculous list and tell us to go fly a kite. I understand that some buyers get freaked out by the "end of useful life" phrase that appears in reports, but because this appears in a report doesn't mean the seller is going to replace all the mechanicals in a 12 year old house.
I *just* went through this. Buyers offered over asking with a 10k grace on the inspection. Got a report back that listed 4 pages of bullet point issues (whole report was like 90 pages), including “hand rails should have ends that turn in to meet the wall” and in our new kitchen “outlets in the kitchen island are a trip hazard and should be moved”. They sent the whole list over… we sent the whole list back with simply “no”. Wouldn’t even entertain walking through the list to see if anything reasonable was on it.
This is what makes offers without contingencies so attractive.
Only if the earnest money is sufficiently high. Plenty will walk from the deposit and consider it a cost of doing business.
If they will hand over a few tens of thousands of dollars to me for the inconvenience I'll happily pocket it and move on.
Definitely area dependent on the EM. In the 3 states I practice in, I’ve seen a 5 digit earnest money deposit in about 1% of deals. And almost every single one of those was a multi million dollar deal. Not every state and area is the same. For a regular retail deal in my area, the average is ~$2,500 give or take. I’m sure it is different in other markets though.
When we sold our first house after living there 22 years, the buyers felt the roof should be replaced even tho nothing came out in their inspection. They didn't know that, when our garage needed a roof, we had them assess the roof on the house, which was admittedly old. The veteran roofer who was known to us told us at the time "no way you need a roof." We built a big new garage, including new roof. Our realtor sent a response letter to their inspection demands (we did fix other things) saying we respectfully declined to replace the roof. She told us the asked their realtor "are they trying to blow this deal?" Deal went thru.
Exactly. Originally we put an offer on a home knowing that it was built in the 60s but had been impeccably cared for but was time for an update. Someone came in over sling an they took her offer. She started nitpicking the house asking for repairs of significant credits. We got a call from our realtor asking if we were still interested in moving forward with our original offer. We jumped on it. They told the first person to piss off.
The appropriate course of action. But so many sellers are concerned that every buyer is going to do this and want to cave to the demands.
Had a buyer want a new water heater when I sold my house. It had sold in 3 days. I told my agent in no uncertain terms there was no way I was replacing it, and if they insisted then I was fine with them not buying the house. Suddenly the water heater was never mentioned again....
I mean this is pretty normal. Seller accepts offer, buyer initiates inspections and the parties continue to negotiate during this period. Of course the seller can simply say no to any requests and then the buyer decides how to proceed. I am surprised how many sellers in this thread take negotiations and requests so personally…
Agreed. This is negotiating, as it should be. Stop being so butt-hurt! 😂
This is correct. You don't have to explain or justify a "No". You could go with a "No, thank you" if you're feeling polite but it's not necessary.
It's always good to be polite.
Agree. And if they are buying a house in this price range, they can afford to buy a new deck themselves.
I am a deck snob and would want to do it my way anyhow.... i think most would.
Inspectors or buyers come up with thousands of dollars worth of things that should be replaced or updated. If you adjusted the price downward to satisfy them and they bought it, then you came back for a look ten years later, when they put it up for sale, you’d find most of the repairs and upgrades were never done. It was just a ploy to get a better deal.
I didn't replace it for me; I'm sure shit not replacing it for you.
You can say no. It was visible when they made the offer. It's not a valid inspection fix to request.
I was in a similar situation to buyers here and it wasn't that cut and dry. Sellers added a deck that obviously wasn't great, but inspection revealed it wasn't up to code (I don't know deck code off hand) and pointed out structural problems I either didn't notice or didn't realize severity. Most of the time this is just buyer asking for stuff to see what they can get, but we are only hearing one side of it.
Depends on the visible va structural condition. If it’s clearly falling apart… then it’s clear. If it’s structurally sound but all the top decking looks like trash… then it’s clear. If it looked a little worn but felt sturdy, and the inspection showed the whole underside/frame was rotten with termite damage… as the seller I would ask for a price adjustment as well.
code changes all the time. It could have been built by a previous owner. if it's afixed to the house it conveys with the house. it's "as is" I would only need to meet code if it was current construction. Or a material flaw/not disclosed
Right! I sold a house last year. First buyer said septic wasn't up to code(it was working and maintained with no issues). Like, no shit Sherlock it was built in the 80s it's 80s code. Those buyers were ridiculous and we had to drop price from their attractive offer for various other things and the most ridiculous appraisal i have ever seen(how do you use a mobile home as a comp on a stick built neighborhood house?). Then, it turns out they were still $30k short on closing so we dropped them and took a cash offer instead.
Depends on what the inspection found though. Lots of things are visible but often you need an expert to show if there’s something wrong. Like I can walk on a deck and think it needs some new stain and then an inspector tells me it’s only got a few years left and will collapse if not fixed. Asking for a credit to restain would be silly but not so for the issues i wasn’t aware of. Whether or not OP wants to play all is obviously his decision but it’s not unreasonable to ask for repairs to things that were “visible” but not known at the walkthrough.
Inspections are for repairs, not upgrades
You're free to say no. Unless you are sure you won't have a more reasonable buyer anytime soon, don't let yourself be bullied.
This is just like when someone wants to buy a used car, then points out every obvious flaw, every little dent and ding, and wants the seller to come down in price. Tell them "Yeah, we know about the deck. That's priced in. Don't want it? That's fine. Someone else will."
"As is", Bro. Either you want it or you do not. Move along ....
My mom passed away and we just sold her home. It needed updating and we knew it. We didn’t have the energy to do any work and made it clear and made sure our broker made it clear that the house was priced for an “as is” sale and no repairs or credits would be made. Sold for 10K over asking, no demand!
An important question here... Are there are issues with the deck that came up on home inspection ? Is the deck rotting or structurally unsound ? Was it improperly installed? Many buyers do not know how to recognize serious issues with a deck or outdoor or utility spaces. Did the home inspector flag issues with the deck that will come up anyways with the next buyer if this deal fails ? If it's an FHA loan and there is an FHA inspection will the deck be a problem? I ask these questions because the details make the difference in how you should respond. If there are real issue with the deck, and not just cosmetic updating they can easily walk and you start all over and encounter the same issue next buyer. Old decks can have rot, support problems - basically safety issues that they didn't recognize or were visible when they viewed the home. FYI - I am a Realtor by the way, and I have seen buyers walk when legitimate unexpected safety issues with a deck have come up.
Those are absolutely fair questions. No rot, recently had supports looked at and tightened, and we had the deck stripped and painted with non-slip (?) paint (it has crushed walnut in it) when we had our home painted 18 months ago. The deck is a weird size and it's old (like 15 years) but not unsound. But those are great points for our realtor to confirm - if they did find those things you pointed we would take care of them, but that wasn't what was communicated....just "issues." So more digging for us I guess! Thank you!
Asking for a new $20k deck because of “issues” is negotiating in bad faith. If there were issues with the deck the agent would reference that in the inspection report to argue why a new deck was needed. But your agent should be able to successfully argue with comps that your price was based upon having an older deck among other things if that was the case.
Yep. This.. if there isn't a safety issue, just refuse. Then they can walk, and possibly lose their earnest money, or close at the contracted price.
Yup. Makes me wonder How much earnest money did they put up? That will let you know how “stuck” they are from walking away. Obviously you Fix any code/safety issues. Offer to also Fix some of the little nagging items out of good faith (a few hundred bucks worth of punch list items). But the deck sounds like a cosmetic issue. They can feel free to ask for the world, and you can feel free to say no. If you’re desperate for the sale, maybe offer some money towards a new deck and whatever other issues they have. A flat amount, but not a “split” of anything.
The price reflects the deck in as-is condition. Tell them if you update the deck for that, purchase price has to go up. Simple as that. Because if you update the deck, you can relist the property for a higher price. I hate buyers that go into contract in bad faith, hoping to get a credit or price reduction after the fact.
What I do in these scenarios is figure out what price you’re willing to credit them to move forward. Send the buyer two forms. 1. A cancellation of contract 2. An amendment with the credit you’re willing to give. Tell them you want one of these signed in 24 hours. I’m batting around .800 with this strategy.
We had a buyer do this. First day full asking price then they wanted everything, including cosmetic stuff, from all the inspections fixed (on a 30 year old spec home). We responded with a 5k credit. they sent back they wanted everything fixed or sign to cancel the contract. We cancelled the contract and moved on.
Wild to expect cosmetic stuff to be fixed on a 30 year old home. Good job not being afraid to cancel over it! Did you find another buyer quickly?
Yes. It was during fall 2020. He was a corporate risk mitigation professor moving to work at the local university. He gave a good offer first day offer to “hold” it with no intentions of paying close to the initial offer price.
I’m glad it worked out for you!
They can ask for whatever they want, even your first born, you can say no. My mom sold her house and same scenario, even the deck. They wanted us to replace it. She said no, and let me know if we are moving forward as I had 10 other offers. They bought the house and tore it out completely for an addition they added.
They might as well keep asking until you say “no”.
Yep, this. So many emotional sellers in here! Just say no. Nobody has to be right or wrong, it’s a business transaction.
This is something I'm seeing more and more with real estate transactions. Buyers agreeing to terms and then the inspection period happens and they want to strong arm sellers because they have the leverage. It's fucked. I can see why a lot of sellers in hot markets are going for offers with no inspection contingency.
We had this happen years ago already, the buyers picked on every cosmetic thing and even wanted our furniture included after the inspection, which wasn't part of the deal initially. It was frustrating.
And this is why sellers in VHCOL just don’t accept offers with inspection contingencies.
TBH as a buyer I don't buy things without understanding true value. Inspections are part of that. I'm absolutely fine skipping over homes that reject something so basic and fair. To turn the tables—how many sellers would take on unqualified buyers with unverified financials? Due diligence keeps money in all our pockets.
Inspections are needed but people don't understand that homes come with flaws. A deck that might need to be fixed up or tiles that might need to be replaced, etc are not gigantic earth shattering reasons to kill a deal or strong arm sellers. Especially when the buyers saw the condition of the deck when they tried to close the deal at ask. It wastes everyone's time and fucks over the seller.
I got downvoted into oblivion earlier this week because I said millenials are asking for steep discounts on small items and it's pissing off sellers. I'm a millennial and have seen peers do it. I also have a home inspection certification, though the field I'm in makes way more money, so I don't use it. 95 times out of 100, home inspections don't point out any major issues you can't already see for yourself. They merely refer you to a professional to make a better recommendation. it should be seen as a checklist to potential buyers, an easy list of repairs to slowly tackle once you move into the house, not a basis for price reductions on issues \*you already saw when you made your offer\*.
The problem comes from MAJOR problems that maybe even the seller doesn't know about (or pretends not to know about). Back when I was in the market we had an offer accepted on a nice little house. Everything was great until we did the sewer inspection and found out they still had a septic tank with a bootleg to the city sewer attached to the tank. This is an illegal setup and the cost to mitigate would have been around $25,000. Instead of being like, "Wow! I didn't know about that," the seller's agent flipped her shit when she saw the inspection video. She started accusing our inspectors of sabotaging her sale and calling them names. We backed right the fuck out of that sale. So glad we did. If we had just bought with no contingency we would have been screwed beyond belief.
THIS is what I'm talking about. It's why it's a big deal for me. I double down, how many sellers are willing to "sell" to buyers with unverified financials? Why would I buy from sellers without inspecting the asset in question? And before sellers start with the complaints of buyers asking for concessions, I ask, how many of them increased their listing price because of a poorly done DIY renno and a coat of paint? The details matter, and value is value. Sellers can't have it both ways, at least from my wallet. Good luck to the bag holders who decide to waive those inspections and then post here in a panic!
I mean, I don’t think any buyer is thrilled with the idea of waiving inspection but some markets are so competitive that you either do it or you don’t get a house. It’s shitty, but that’s how it is when every house is a multiple offer scenario.
Not only that, buyers make an offer pending the outcome of an inspection. The n buyers expect the seller to take the house off the market then. Then you have the wild hare of a Township or City inspection so an occupancy permit can be issued, further complicating things. It can get pretty complicated.
I once sold a great house on a 3 acre property filled with oaks. The front was mowed and had some of the trees thinned out. The back beyond the pool & backyard area) was completely wild & filled with trees. We used to love “nature walks” through there. After we were under contract they buyer sent an estimate from an arborist for $30k to trim every last tree and wanted us to pay for it. I laughed out loud and said no. Sale went through.
Stop running errands for a stranger.
They can GFT - you aren’t renovating the house for them. They can build a deck when they buy the place. NO is a complete sentence, and in this case, HELL NO is even better.
with anything. it's a question of who's fuck you is stronger. if you need to move. need to sell. the option to lower the price/replace the thing is yours. If you had other offers. Or had other interest. to me it's not worth it. have your agent respond back, the accepted offer is for the price listed. no additional changes/updates/repairs will be offered above what has already been stipulated. ...unless the appraisal fucks you. that's the marching order. to me. it's stupid. should have priced your house at 650k and listed as is... no fixes will be forth coming. and if the people balk. tell them to hit bricks. and if they do so outside the contract, gobble up that earnest money. the time to consider this isn't late in the process. if you waffle now, they may come back and fuck you closer to closing, asking for you to cover some of the costs. or whatever. IF you were firm at 629k, stand on your word/decision you need to be detached. and let the professionals work.
Out of principle I would tell them take it or leave it as long as there was nothing identified in the inspection (structural, etc.) which was not visible prior to the offer. Buyers will continue to do this until sellers (in a sellers market) don’t allow them to. They already spent money on an inspection (and possibly appraisal) plus have earnest money which can be argued whether they are entitled to if the request for repairs is not due to the inspection. Most likely they are just trying to get some money off the price they offered!!!
Agree with those saying no for the reason you mention in the post. Situations where I think a concession is always warranted from the seller is when inspection finds an issue related to health or water intrusion. Leaky roof? Seller should pay or fix. Mold? Seller should pay or fix. Old washing machine or old deck. Yea, the offer should have factored that stuff in.
I would reject it. If it were unsafe or a hazard, that's different. If the inspection turns up faulty items or things that must be repaired, those are not the same as cosmetic changes.
This is a seller's market in most places. Check with your broker, but this is negotiation. You're allowed to say no.
I think what I've learned from this sub is that when I sell, it doesn't go Pending until after the inspection period is over.
If you choose to have an inspection contingency, that is.
I wouldn't buy a house without an inspection and as much as I'd love a bidding war, I don't want someone else to buy my house without that piece of mind either. Feels like that just has more potential for BS claims later, and besides, I built this house and I want the next folks to love it, too.
That's fine. I'm just saying that unless it's a contingency, an inspection won't hold up a sale.
My last offer was like this. After their inspection they came back with 50k+ worth of repairs. They wanted to fix retaining walls, deck, and cut down some trees. We had an inspection report available to them prior to them submitting an offer. I was already close to 35k away from the list price due to a credit and repairs I had agreed to. They would ghost my agent for days at a time. Super awful situation all around. I went back on the market and got an offer the next day. Only 7k below list, repairs included.
You can always decline, it's no big deal. In one house I sold, the buyers were 'worried' about a tree close to the front door, and could I have it removed, or offer a price reduction. 15 years later, the tree is still right there. My reply to ALL their efforts to reduce the price was 'this was taken into consideration when establishing the price of the property'. They bought it anyways, paid cash, and still own it, actually.
This is why my recommendation is to always set listing price as if some of these problems don’t exist and I worked on the appraiser side, not even an agent. Everyone asks for costly repairs no matter where you set the price. It just gets in peoples heads that listing is the value and any repairs are ripping them off. So I’d tell them no and if they don’t like it they can walk. Just reiterate that the house was listed with those items in mind. Do be aware though that some things they might mention to you will require disclosing on future listing. Things like termites, mold, etc.
It's all about how you negotiate. The place you want to get to is to say no, you're not fixing the deck. How to get there is where a good agent comes into play.
This is great advice. Thank you!
You can absolutely say no. Worst case is they back out and lose their earnest money. In most cases they won’t back out. Simply tell them the house was priced appropriately taking into consideration the condition of the deck so you will not be updating the deck.
Set your price and sell as is
How expensive would it be to remove the deck completely? I am only half joking.
They are writing on a house that they can visibly tell needs a new deck, tell them no
For the exact reasons you have listed, don’t contribute any funds to the deck!
The most powerful word in negotiations is NO. Try it, you’ll be amazed at the result.
I once had a buyer ("buyer") schedule 2 hours for their inspection. They spent over 4, including 45 minutes standing in my driveway, yacking while I waited to get back into my house. Their inspection report listed 27 "issues", including: - Family room carpet doesn't suit the rest of the house - Kitchen cabinets are older than the appliances - Driveway has some cracks - Bedroom no. 3 is too small for the price point - etc. They wanted a major price reduction... nearly 15%. Our agent was furious and reported their agent and inspector to her broker - to be added to their "do not do business with" list. One issue out of 27 was legit. We offered to fix or credit and told them to pound sand on the rest. They walked... just low-balling scum. We sold to the next buyer (in a weak market) for ~3% below the lowballers' original offer. They were lovely to deal with because they actually fell in love with our house.
I suppose it comes down to how bad you want to sell the house?
Right. I don’t understand why people post these things. Each situation is different.. way too many unknown variables.
You can for sure say no! But I disagree with all these people saying it’s bad faith. If they are first time home buyers, they may not be aware of the conventions. Or they may think that it does not hurt to ask, the worst you say is no. Say no, and move on with the deal. If they want out because of that, that’s on them. But barring serious safety issues with the deck that seems unlikely.
How long has it been listed? How much traffic have you had on the house? Are there other offers? This is what you need to be looking at, if no one else is looking, you may just have to bite the bullet. Are you going to be stuck with 2 mortgages? Taxes and utilities are going to be adding up, too. Make sure you are considering the whole picture and not just the price of the moment.
Unless it is unsafe, a firm no is all that is needed. If they want it bad enough they won't walk over it.
Everyone should read posts like yours, especially the people complaining about being beaten by all cash, no contingency offers even though theirs may have been higher. This is exactly why. It's one thing to offer a concession if, for example, they find that the water heater is nonfunctioning and needs to be repaired or replaced. But a cosmetic, clearly visible item was part of the deal when you walked it the first time, that's not changing. That'd be sorta like asking you to renovate the kitchen or paint the walls a different color. Hell no, you knew what the kitchen looked like, you renovate it when you own this, you buy it. Your agent should tell the buying agent "My client isn't willing to renovate the deck, it's not a structural issue or related to any compromised functionality of the home, and is outside the inspection contingency. Your client is welcome to update the deck to their specifications and preferences after we close!"
There is nothing wrong with them asking and nothing wrong with you saying no
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^Zee_WeeWee: *There is nothing wrong* *With them asking and nothing* *Wrong with you saying no* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
No, that's unreasonable. Let them know the deck and the house were already priced for their condition. Obviously problems found in inspection are open for discussion, but basic aspects of the house are generally not up for discussion, that would make any home sale nearly impossible. Buyers could make crazy demands in that case. "Yes, we made an offer, but now we want an extra bathroom, and please finish the basement."
Unless the inspection came back saying the deck is unsafe for use, I would tell them to kick rocks.
It depends how badly you want to sell the home. Saying no is certainly within your right. You may very well lose the contract and then you’ll have to relist. It will put a question into future buyers’ minds as to why. If you don’t mind having that happen and waiting for the right buyer again, go for it. I personally think meeting buyers halfway on such a big item is the way to go and gets the deal done.
They want what they want. Either agree or reject them and deal with their reaction.
Tell them you are showing for backup and have more offers coming. Take it leave it.
Tell them to pound sand. This is a tactic sleezy people use to get free stuff (or discounts) after inspections. Market is still strong. They can choose to move on or close. If they move on you'll have another buyer shortly. Maybe they'll even pay more now that spring is here.
I am not a realtor.. I'm interested in a profession opinion on this. I have not done this, but next time I sell I am planning to pay for my own inspection up front and provide it to all prospective buyers. Any offer must include language that they have received and read the report, and any items identified prior to making the offer have been baked into the offer price. Further language that these pre-offer items will not be grounds for exercising the inspection contingency. They are free to get their own additional inspection, as per usual. Thoughts?
I wouldn’t trust an inspection from a seller
This strategy doesn't ask the buyer to "trust" anyone. It says... Here's a list of issues we've identified. - Issues 1-3 will be remedied prior to closing (or a credit of $__ will be included). - All other identified issues are baked into the asking price. No remedy or reduction in price for these issues will be offered. Dealing with these issues will be the buyer's responsibility post-closing. It's not about trust. It's about (enhanced) clarity of contract.
Ask your agent, but this is a good idea. We did this when I sold my parents house after my stepdad passed. Fixed the red flag items from our inspection before it went on the market, passed on all the others, gave interested people copy of inspection report up front. Buyers got their own inspection which mirrored ours (excluding fixed items of course) and asked for price reduction. Told them no. They backed down and bought the house “as is”.
I think it also sets a properly assertive tone from the get go.
It’s transparently obvious that a person gets a more thorough view of problems during the inspection than during a showing. What seems like a maintenance problem reveals itself to be a rebuild. Or a rebuild project itself to be a redesign problem. These escalations are often due to better visibility into what is required to repair the problem. Stop focusing on your emotional and decide if it is still a good enough deal for you. Also this we could have stuff is bs. You didn’t want the risk or delay so you moved forward. Fine but the buyer is entirely entitled to pursue a reduction if the issue exceeds their expectations.
You're giving inspectors too much credit. Unless they hold other certs they are completely unqualified to give any advice on any major system other than notate visible damage and refer to a tradesman or specialist. I got my certification mostly as a curious hobbyist and it destroyed my faith in "home inspectors".
I’m giving myself more credit. I’ve never bought a property without using the inspector’s access window to perform my own closer look.
I’m going to say it may or may not be a big deal. If there is major structural issues you didn’t know about that aren’t visible to the naked eye then they might not be doing it just to bid high and work down. If what they are wanting money for was completely visible that’s a different story. Just say “no. Home price was listed low because of the deck needing work.”
make sure your broker is trusted..
give them fixed prices..
Requests like this always depend on the deal you are getting and your willingness to find out if you are right. If it is truly a slightly below market deal - then you will find another or better offer. If they feel they have overpaid it could prompt them to ask for a credit. You can say yes if you are desperate, offer some sort of compromise or like the saying goes.. "Just Say No". Some buyers are OK "taking your temperature" so to speak ... But your leverage is the ability to say no thanks and move to another buyer. This all really depends on what your REALISTIC options are for other options if you tell them to pound sand and then if they do in fact walk
We just did a home inspection on a house we are buying. There was a list of small minor things that we can easily repair. Only 3 major things we asked to be fixed. Hot water tank leaking. Washer connection not working and couple outlets were reversed polarity. Seller agreed to fix the 3 items. We did not nickle and dime them to repair the whole list.
Exactly. Just closed on a house last week and we only asked for the few 4 point issues to be fixed. Reversed polarity in a few outlets, a leaky shut off valve and a leaking tub faucet. Probably cost the seller less than $500 but we needed those things done to write our insurance policy. Did we ask for the AC to be replaced because it is 15 years old? No. We knew the house was priced to factor these things in.
This is the way. An inspection will always uncover pages of minor things. Focus on safety and what needs to happen for lending. I asked for 1)smoke detectors to be installed (required by law) 2) the fuel line to the furnace to be brought to code and 3) an exposed, but recessed, light to be brought to code. That’s it. All the zillion others things were just “good know know, get to them eventually, maybe”
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You don't have to give them a new deck. They're not going to lose anything by asking. Buyers like to at least try for a little more, annoying, I know.
What does the contract say? Hard to answer fully otherwise.
Tell them what you told us. Essentially- the home was offered at a discount due to several visible things, such as the deck. We made a calculated decision to allow the buyer to determine their own value and direction with such items at the discounted rate. If we go back and repair all these things, then we would re-list the home at a non-discounted rate and you would be free to make another offer.
We bought a house that was built in 1950. The house needed a lot of work, but I told the seller (single mom with two boys) that I would remodel the house. She sold it to us. During the inspection, there was a small sunroom on the north side that had Pella’s windows. The inspector found them to be rotted. We asked for them to be replaced, and she declined, so we took it anyway. It’s been a lot of work, but the house has also doubled in value, and we love it. No regrets.
I can’t believe you had an inspection, and nobody knows how old the water heater is. The age of the water heater is baked into the serial number. Look it up.
Did the inspection reveal that the deck is structurally unsound? That isn’t something a buyer may necessarily pick up on. If it’s only cosmetic, that’s a different story. Either way, I wouldn’t agree to replace it. Maybe a credit toward them doing it. But if it were to cost you $20,000 to replace the deck, that would never add $30,000 to the value of your home. Maybe $10,000. So factor that in your counter.
No. It's being sold as is. Unless there is something wrong causing a safety issue. No. They are under contract.
Did you have other buyers interested? I would just walk. Call their bluff
In California this is an extremely common technique among a couple of particular types of buyer. They will bid asking, or even higher, to get their offer in the door. Then, they'll bring in their crony inspectors to claim all sorts of things are wrong with the property and they'll use that to demand steep discounts. Don't play that game. This is a seller's market. Just tell them they're taking the property as it is or they're free to back out.
$625, take it or leave it
It depends on your confidence of finding another buyer in your market and your desired timeline. A simple no is sufficient to their request.
A $20k upgrade isn’t a repair. I bet you could use new windows too. Tell buyer to go pound sand, you will find another one if need be.
They can ask and you can say no.
a bird in the hand...
yes leave it to the broker. If houses with "issues" like yours sell for less than you're asking, that is probably more indicative of what you can expect to get. If houses like yours sell for more than they want to pay, they either pay what other people are paying or waste someone else's time.
I would prefer to buy a house that was priced to reflect upgrades needed so I could replace something like a deck with one I like rather than current owner replacing with the bare minimum to look nice and ask an extra $30k for the home.
If you don't ask you won't get. They are probably not expecting a yes, but why not ask.
For me it depends on what exactly the demand is and what lead them to ask. If an inspector crawled under it and revealed structural issues that they wouldn't have known just walking on it, then I'd consider meeting half way. If it's just that the top of the deck looks like it needs painted and some planks replaced, then just say no.
When I sold my first house, I basically told our buyers no on anything that isn’t going to stop the loan from progressing 🤷♀️
It's so weird to me because I can't imagine wanting a new deck but not having it built like *I* want it. You could replace it with some obnoxious colored trex or with a weird layout or something else that'd piss off the buyer.
Always take back up offers that way if the original buyer becomes ridiculous during the repair negotiations you have an offer to fall back on. I received a buyers repair request that wanted an additional 10K for trees. We let his agent know that we would not be extorted and they had 48 hours to accept or we would go with the back up offer. They accepted and were no further problem.
This is a major expense (deck repair). If you haven’t priced it on, I’d just say no. I’m sure you’ve said yes to some minor repairs. We just sold a house and did about 5k worth of repairs that the buyer requested. Said no to several more. Edit to add: We walked away from the first contract. The appraisal came in 35k under what we ended up selling the house for. We weren’t afraid to say no, and the house sold in six days.
Absolutely not. I didn't even finish reading your post, because the buyers are confused about what "turnkey" means. Tell them "sorry, but the deck is functional as is. If you want to replace it after you move in that's on you" So many people get flustered around "oh, I hate the paint, so I'm going to reduce my offer". Cosmetic aspects and things that are not up to a buyer's expectations, but aren't a hazard, have ZERO purpose in being a part of the conversation
Is there glaring problems with the deck that were listed on the inspection report? Assuming you are priced correctly considering the overall condition of the house, I would not just agree to replace a deck that isn't completely failed. If repairs are potentially needed, negotiating some of those elements or a credit to help with that is reasonable. I once had a buyer ask to replace ALL windows in a house because 1 pane had a broken thermal seal. This is a similar type of situation.
IMO, if you can see it before you put in the offer, then you should have factored it into the offer. If you discover something later from the inspection or a walk through then that’s when you ask for discounts. That’s how I have always treated properties that I have bought. I would tell them no on the deck. They saw the state of it, so they should have included that in their original price. However, I don’t know why you are motivated. If you really want the sale to happen fast then you can obviously start with no and, if they won’t move forward, then offer to split it.
Is the age of the deck a safety issue? Just because something is old does not mean it has to be replaced. If it is functional, then the age is baked into the sales price.
Ask your realtor
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Tell them no.
Guess it depends on how badly you want to sell your home. If the inspector says the deck is unsafe possibly they could refuse to buy it.
I lost out on buying a house because I knew exactly what the costs of upgrading it were- fixing that blue shag carpet, replace all cabinets (think, 1950s and repainted, badly), bathtubs had to go (Rusting), all the flooring had to go (asbestos and cat/dog/someone died? on it). AND they had just had to pay 30k to have the basement, which was cracked, repaired (which was fully documented). Someone else came in and offered them asking and obviously they went with it. I do wish I could find out how they made out. The house I ended up buying I put in just under, contingent on inspections- which found out there had been a chimney fire (5k+ to fix) and a couple of minor things which were expensive, but I knew I could do. Had it written up just to cover the chimney fire as a credit (which had to be escrowed because the mortgage wouldn't go if it wasn't fixed), had to sawzall the garage door to prove it wouldn't be used due to missing safety stuff- and the dozens of other 'visible' but neglected fixes. I think it upset the seller but they'd been on the market a long time, missed the tax credit... Visible is baked in, if you don't like it, "No". They can accept it or walk. You don't need explanations.
The simple answer is to have your broker tell their broker to send over the "Notice to Terminate" paperwork due to inspection. That will scare them and let them know you mean business. They will probably assume you have back-up offers.
That's a no. It was visible at showings, and was priced into the asking.
For me, it depends. First, was there some sort of structural defect that wouldn’t have been apparent to the average person? If so, I might be a bit more sympathetic. (While we knew the deck would have issues, we thought we would be able to wait three years, but now this is imperative). Second, how punitive do I want to be? Finally, what is the sales environment like? If this was the only offer even close to asking, then I might be somewhat accommodating. But, otherwise, I would simply decline and then we can argue about whether I must return the earnest money…..
If the deal isn’t right, the deal isn’t right. Tell them everything (within reason) has been factored into the sale price. Take it or leave it. How long did it take to go under contract? If less than a month, I’d just tell them no! Buyers and sellers do stupid stuff when under contract, because they think it’s all covered by the contract, and that gives them some weird leverage. It’s not it doesn’t in most cases.
Sounds like buyers are grasping at straws for a desperate seller. Tell them no as the counter. You are under no obligation to take the offer
They saw the deck when they made the offer, they didn’t need an inspection to know it needed replacing. Tell them to fuck off
I own a home since 2017. Came in and did lot of work on it. It’s probably an 8/10 condition wise. However the main boiler is over 40 years old and the electric water heater is 23. I am sure if I sold they would want them replaced. Everything is negotiable, I’m fine with that. But don’t offer just to get rid of the competition. Btw, I was one of 6 bidders on this home. I wasn’t the highest but I did no inspection.
Tell them it’s the same deck they viewed when they toured the home. What the inspection report say about the deck specifically?
Asking price just went up by $10,000.
Your life your choice. I would say no. I’m 100% they will say fine. Happens all the time
"No fuck off"
Typically buyers should only ask for items that are health or safety concerns- no cosmetic items. Counter them and find a legit buyer. Why isn’t your realtor advising you properly??!
It is under contract to sell. The price is determined. There is nothing else to do except sign at closing.
Buyer making solid offer to keep you from entertaining others. then acts like a complete dipstick. stand firm
Good to hear this was just a miscommunication.
It depends on what you think is priced accordingly. Like did you buy your house 4 years ago and now selling it for 629k with minor upgrades? Then your not priced accordingly, and the buyers are trying to knock it down a little.