Today is inspection day for my listing. It is the day someone comes in, takes a peek at my clients' home and then gives me a laundry list of fixin's that the buyer wants taken care of. The seller, in turn, does some sort of aghast noise, stating there is nothing wrong with their home and the buyer is just being unreasonable. Both sides give their agent an earful, and we agents then chat about it.
As agents, it is our job to tell the buyer they can fix the cracked outlet cover on their own. It is our job also to tell the seller, that it isn't unreasonable for a buyer to expect the leaking hot water heater to be fixed. Generally there is a lot of anguish on both sides. The one asking for the repairs is making vague threats "Well! If they won't replace the cracked window pane, I will just walk!" And the seller saying "If they want a new garbage disposal! Why don't they just buy a new house!"
Fortunately, the Arizona purchase contract calls for a time frame to get all of these responses. Some might think it is to expedite the transaction. But really it is to get the clients to all calm down and look at the reality of the situation. The buyer isn't going to walk away from a home because of a $100 cracked window. It is reasonable for a seller to fix the broken garbage disposal, because if he doesn't, he will be fixing it for the next buyer.
Truly, most items that are wrong with a home tend to be small (though I can remember some times when they aren't, but that is for another blog). But both parties want to feel like they got a win. Asking for the window locks to be tightened is a minor issue. But it makes the buyers feel like they have gained some ground. Conversely, agreeing to fix the window locks from a seller's point of view is also a minor issue, they are just relieved the buyer didn't ask for the ceiling fan to be replaced.
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