Sellers want to give us credits instead of fix repairs..1st time buyer! What should I do?

knottie9c5ed33df4bbd226

So, my fiance and I are in the process of buying a house. We love it. It was a steal and has most of what we want. Perfect for us starting out. We obtained a home inspection and the inspector found about 7 things he would recommend fixing: 

Downspouts

REPAIR or REPLACE - The downspout discharge drains close to the house. As a rule of thumb, a minimum

drainage of six feet from the house is recommended.  In my opinion when drainage is closer than 6 feet there is

an increased potential for water to go back to the foundation and result in water leakage into basements and

crawl spaces. Water leakage can cause various problems and damage including damaging drywall, plaster,

paneling, flooring and similar. Water leakage can also lead to mold problems. I recommend that you contact a

qualified contractor to mitigate the situation if possible.

ELECTRIC

Distribution Wiring

REPAIR or REPLACE - Some of the NM distribution wiring (commonly called Romex®) are not properly or

reasonably secured or encased in conduit to the structure. This is an increased potential for various problems

and electrical safety hazards. Appropriate corrective action is recommended by a qualified electrician.

Outlets

SAFETY - Of the representative sampling of wall receptacles, certain receptacles read on the test meter to be

‘open ground’.  Open ground is considered to be improperly wired and a potential electrical shock / fire hazard.

Corrective action is needed by a qualified electrician.

HEATING

Gas Burner

MAINTENANCE - The heating system is dirty and burners have debris on them. A dirty heating system can have

a negative effect on its performance, can lead to malfunction and safety hazards. A professional cleaning is

needed by a qualified mechanical contractor.

PLUMBING

Laundry Tub

REPAIR or REPLACE - This item is not secure. Appropriate corrective action is recommended by a qualified

plumber.

Showers

NOTE : The shower Head plumbing supply line is located in the Attic area and does not appear to have a heat

source or sufficient insulation around it. Without sufficient insulation and or heat source these pipes could freeze

and burst causing large amounts of damage to drywall and other items in the home.

Sinks

REPAIR or REPLACE - The sink drain trap is taped up or otherwise fitted with a temporary repair. The damaged

trap should be replaced by a qualified plumber.

Toilets

REPAIR or REPLACE - Mechanical / physical damage is present. The fixture may fail causing malfunction or

usage problems. This can result in damage to the fixture or the building. Water damage can result in damages

and deterioration of plaster, drywall, flooring and other finished surfaces. It can cause structural problems and

lead to mold. Appropriate corrective action is recommended by a qualified plumber.

Our lawyer spoke with theirs and today they said they would prefer to give us credit to fix it. I know some people prefer that, but we are not handy and I know these types of things can take time and more money than expected. We would prefer they repair them before we close. Also, if we choose to go with the credits, how much should I request?

Have you been in this situation? What do you think is best? What would YOU do?

CMGragain

We have done this.  It was a good solution for us because DH is an engineer, and could fix things himself.  Your real estate agent will know people who can do a repair job for you.  I recommend doing most of it yourself and pocketing the money.

mysticl

That's a lot of stuff. Personally, I would be more comfortable with having it fixed by them prior to closing. I would also then have your home inspector go back over it to make sure it was done properly.  

knottie9c5ed33df4bbd226

I guess I am afraid that we will get the credit and then it will cost a lot more to fix what needs to be fixed and we will be out more $$ than we should be.

knottie9c5ed33df4bbd226

mysticl said:

That's a lot of stuff. Personally, I would be more comfortable with having it fixed by them prior to closing. I would also then have your home inspector go back over it to make sure it was done properly.  

Exactly. I am waiting to tell my realtor my decision and I just am not sure what to do!

photokitty

None of those would be deal breakers for me and only one I think could get expensive is the electrical wiring. Ask for their credit and then say you'd like to have an electrician come in and give do and inspection and give you a quote. 

The rest of the things should like mostly labor costs. All new downspouts and gutters on my house was like $500 - for everything.

GL!

lyndausvi

I would get an estimate of costs to fix and get the credit.   

Even if the overall costs end up being more, knowing it was done correctly by us would be more important than them cheap out on the repairs.   

If I'm going to have to get a new sink or toilet I would want to pick those out myself anyway.  Even if it means a little more than what they are willing to give me as a credit.

theartistformerlyknownas

I don't think that legally a home inspector can advise that a homeowner do any of these things themselves, but a lot of them are seriously easy. I mean, I've replaced a toilet. A licensed plumber doesn't need to do that, but I'm sure he has to say that. 

Some of the other things don't need to be done immediately, like insulating the pipes in the attic (not until it gets cold out) or the laundry tub (not until you need it, unless the washer drains into it instead of straight into the drain). 

Downspouts - a child could do it. It doesn't sound like you need new gutters, just a longer section of downspout. That's seriously simple.

I would definitely get the credit, see if any handy friends or family can help you, or sit on the money until it's really necessary to spend it.

knottie9c5ed33df4bbd226

I should mention, I meant to delete the downspout section, we do plan on doing that ourselves!

theartistformerlyknownas

lyndausvi said:

I would get an estimate of costs to fix and get the credit.   

Even if the overall costs end up being more, knowing it was done correctly by us would be more important than them cheap out on the repairs.   

If I'm going to have to get a new sink or toilet I would want to pick those out myself anyway.  Even if it means a little more than what they are willing to give me as a credit.

This is a really good point - if you have them do the work, it might literally be them doing it, rather than professionals. If any schmuck is going to work on my house, I'd rather it be me.

mysticl

lolo883 said:

lyndausvi said:

I would get an estimate of costs to fix and get the credit.   

Even if the overall costs end up being more, knowing it was done correctly by us would be more important than them cheap out on the repairs.   

If I'm going to have to get a new sink or toilet I would want to pick those out myself anyway.  Even if it means a little more than what they are willing to give me as a credit.

This is a really good point - if you have them do the work, it might literally be them doing it, rather than professionals. If any schmuck is going to work on my house, I'd rather it be me.

That's why you have them provide receipts for the work they had done.  

Inkdancer

I would take the credits, but have someone come out and give an estimate of how much it will cost. A reliable electrician/ plumber will do a free estimate, and then you can bring that number to the seller. You definitely should do the credits instead of having the seller do the repairs, so you know you're getting a responsible and professional fix.

knottie9c5ed33df4bbd226

My mom has a really reliable handyman she uses so I might ask him to do the estimates if we go that route..

southernbelle0915

If they want to give you a credit and you're interested, hire someone to come out and assess the costs. Do not use anyone recommended by the seller, or real estate agents (even your own) as they have a vested interest in closing the deal. 

Some of the things you list here aren't a big deal, but others - like electrical and plumbing are going to cost a shit load. And once they get in there, there's usually an "oh boy, we found this problem and it's going to cost $$$ to do it right" (ever watched reno on HGTV?) Plus there's the headache of going through all this while you're living there. ALSO, you need to have cash to do these things. If this stuff is already done, it's absorbed into your mortgage.

Keep in mind YOU are the buyer and it's still more or less a buyers market right now (depending on your area).

luckya23

I would definitely take the credits.

The one thing I wanted the sellers to do (with an FHA loan, certain things also HAVE to be done before the appraisal), they told the contractor to put a bandaid on (who would know?).  Luckily I happened to be in the house when he showed up and I said "No, go back and ask for more money, because you are doing this correctly."

Most older houses have open grounds, so that's something I personally live with, but once you get a credit from the seller, you can use the money however you want.

The burner is a maintenance thing, you should get it done periodically anyway, it's like $150.

Traps, toilets, and insulation are easy. Does he just mean the laundry sink isn't bolted to the floor? 

RebeccaB88

I would far prefer to get the credits and hire my own people do fix things. I want to know that it's done right and to MY specifications, not the seller's.  Definitely get estimates on all the work and ask for the largest amounts in credit.

lkristenj

A lot of the issues in our house were actually caused by the sellers doing what our inspection report called "handyman repairs". Many things were done poorly or not to code. None of the toilets are sealed. Junction boxes don't have lids. Drywall damage. Incorrect molding. Plumbers putty to seal outside pipes. We could have asked for repairs but in the end decided that we didn't want them working on the house at all for fear of more "handyman repairs". So, we gave them the inspection report (which they would then HAVE to disclose to anyone else who may buy the house if we didn't) and reduced our offer by a lot. None of the repairs were serious enough to need to be done before closing. We didn't get a credit, but we did buy the house for less, so it's essentially the same thing.