When you sell a home, there is likely to be an emotional attachment; if you’ve spent any amount of time there, the memories will stay with you for a lifetime. That being said, this attachment may cause problems when it comes time to sell your home to someone else. There are many parts of the process that can be difficult for an emotional seller; whether it’s an offer that is lower than is expected or a laundry list of repairs that need to be made after the Tampa home inspection comes through. So, what do you do if the Tampa home inspection report offends the seller of your dream home?
It is important to remember, as a buyer, that not everything is going to be fixed. You and your Tampa realtor can search all over and never find a house that will have nothing wrong with it. If you keep your expectations realistic, the Tampa home inspection report will be less of an issue. It is completely normal to get the report back and want to make the seller fix it all, but this is not usually going to happen. Consult with your Realtor to discuss what you can and should ask to be repaired prior to closing. Things like an aging roof or HVAC system are common requests. Skipping things like windows, bad flooring, and other cosmetic flaws will keep your seller from being offended and rejecting your offer altogether.
If your list of requests from the inspection does end up offending the seller, this will likely all go through the real estate agents. However, you may need to consider giving up some of the repairs in order to avoid losing the home. If this happens, we recommend going through the home inspection report and prioritizing all necessary repairs so you can see what needs to be repaired first and do a cost analysis. If the seller is only willing to financially cover a certain number of repairs, does the home need one large repair like a new roof, or a few smaller repairs if others can wait.
It is inevitable that some sellers will be unhappy with their homes’ inspection report, but as a buyer, you can make this process a little less combative. Know when to stand your ground and when to back down and the inspection can turn into a positive change in your future home.