: >I'm in the Seattle metro area, which has an extremely hot housing : >market right now. My home is in a desirable neighborhood and I've : >spent quite a bit of money updating the kitchen, main bathroom, and : >landscaping in this home. I also replaced the water heater and : >converted the furnace to forced air gas two years ago. I asked
269K for : >this 1941 sq foot home...I had a lot of activity, lots of lookers and : >interested parties. We were averaging 1 to 2 showings a day and then : >we have a bite on day 6, with a woman making an offer on the spot. : >
: >Ironically, the day before this offer, we suspect that this same woman : >called my realtor "fishing" for information and asking about arranging : >a showing with my realtor: She said her name was Pat, that she was : >moving here from Idaho, asking things like: "Is she firm on the price? : > How anxious to sell? etc..." The next day, this woman shows up at : >the house with her agent (her son) and makes an offer on the spot. : >Ironically, this buyer's middle name is Pat and she just sold her house : >in *gasp* Idaho. She and her son write up an offer that night. First : >off, she low balls me 5K off of the asking price, which is fine. I : >countered and met her halfway at 267K and she immediately accepted. : >She schedules her home inspection immediately, within 24 hours... : >
: >Now that are nit picking to death every little thing they could find : >with this 41 year old home! All of the defects were supposedly found : >in the crawl space. She found the same slight settling that I had : >recorded 7 years ago (no change or movement in foundation). She gave : >me this laundry list of things to fix before she will buy: : >
: >Correct slope in floor & leaning support post : >fix leak in kitchen sink drain : >Tighten main bath toilet to floor : >Replace wax ring in other toilet (2nd bathroom) : >repair leaking bathtub drain : >repair leaking water supply line : >place all electrical wires under house in junction boxes : >remove wood plumbing & heating supports & replace with plumbing straps : >reconnect heating duct : >vent dryer to side of house : >reattach insulation that has fallen in crawlspace & unblock vents : >
: >She wants the house jacked up and that area under foundation repaired : >so there is no settling, which I know wont be cheap. Replacing wax : >rings is no big deal..... but I feel like I am getting nickel and : >dimed here. I'm ready to have this be a deal breaker and walk. Of : >course my agent is bending over backwards, wanting this deal to close : >so she can get paid...I feel like she is more concerned about the buyer : >than me. She's also saying that we will have to do a new sellers : >disclosure and document all of these findings, which could scare off : >new potential buyers. : >
: >I'm thinking about getting my own appraisal and a second inspection : >(which I am kicking myself for not doing in the first place). Just to : >see if these problems are real "deal breakers" or if she is just being : >nit pickey. Or should I just give her the finger and keep on : >fishing... : >
: >I can't help but wonder if the inspector is a family member to her like : >her son realtor. She sure is anxious and wants the house.... : >
: >Any words of advice from people that have been through this kind of : >thing? :
IMO, this thread's pretty much reached the point of diminishing returns with a lot of people suggesting the same basic response but deciding they're experts on all kinds of things, including some which weren't even in the original post.
The OP should decide whether they want to be firm on the price (sounds like it would be logical to do) and just tell the buyer "yeah, sorry you'll have to spend a little extra money; hope it's worth it to you" and let them decide. Just don't hide anything, don't lie, take a position and stick to it. Then it's someone else's decision and not theirs to worry about. On the other hand, you could set a "minimum" price in your own mind to accept, and tell them something like "Oh, OK, I'll take as little as ... but that's my only concession", but not more than a couple thou difference. NO house is going to be perfect for the buyers, period. Something will always be not quite right; it's the nature of the game to be picky. Pick and attitude - stick to it. You'll have time later to take a new one if it's really necessary. Doesn't sound like it is. There are some real con type people out there too - they're the ones are "fun" to deal with if you don't take them too seriously. Just be agreeable, nod politely, and say NO when they underbid it.
That is, IFF as the OP indicated, there is time for all that. Otherwise some concessions may be in order. That's also part of the game.
My two cents anyway,
Pop