By Barry Stone
Dear Barry,
We're presently selling our house and were relieved when the buyers' home inspector didn't find any major problems. But now, the buyers are demanding that we repair cosmetic defects. For example, they want us to replace damaged doors and cracked windows. And they want us to repair the front porch trim. They were aware of these problems before the inspection, so it seems unfair that they should expect these repairs now. What is your advice? Amy
Dear Amy,
The negotiations that follow a home inspection can become the touchiest of interactions when selling a home. Buyers and sellers often have differing views regarding which repair requests are fair and reasonable, and the definitive rulebook for this phase of the game has yet to be written. In most cases, the parties to the transactions must improvise in a give-and-take fashion. The conduct and decisions made by participants involve an interplay of variables. Among these are the specific requirements of the purchase contract, the personalities, business experience, and communication styles of the players, the strengths and weaknesses of respective bargaining positions, the climate of the real estate market place, and much more.
Regarding your specific situation, replacement of cracked windows is specified as a mandatory repair in many real estate purchase contracts, but that may not be the case in your transaction. Damaged doors are unusual, and many buyers would be inclined to request that these be repaired or replaced, according to the extent of damage. Repairing the porch trim is probably on the picky side.
The fact that the buyers were aware of these defects prior to the home inspection weighs more heavily on your side of the negotiations but is not necessarily decisive. Most likely, the bottom line to these proceedings will depend upon how badly the buyers want to buy and how determined you are to sell. Hopefully, there is room on both sides for compromise.
The most reasonable request is for replacement of cracked windows. I would advise relenting on that point. Replacing the doors is probably a lot more costly, and repairs may be a possible option. On this issue, you might approach the matter on the basis of shared costs with the buyers. Repairing the porch trim is probably an overreaching request, but the cost is most likely a small consideration in the larger scheme of the transaction. Whatever you do, don't let "matters of principal" cloud the big picture. Just keep your eyes on the main objective, which is to sell your home and move on to newer and brighter horizons.
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