Are any of them expensive things to fix, or immediate safety issues? Are they worth the risk of losing the house purchase? Is the price of the house still reasonable, taking the cost of the inspection items into account? An inspection list of things that need repair are not necessarily items the seller should be asked to correct. Your examples are too vague for me to even guess what the problems really are.

A good inspector will point out every single possible thing that is wrong or could go wrong. Most are minor things that shouldn't affect the value of the home. Like gyr said, you have to decide.

For example when I bought my last home back in 93, the inspector found asbestos covering the pipes in the basement. That is a safety issue and we negotiated for the sellers to have it properly removed. It was also found that the septic system was past it's prime and we negotiated with the sellers to lower the cost of the home to account for us needing to put in a new system. However, we could see that we needed to replace the wiring when we went through the home so we didn't even bring that up to the seller.

When we sold the house in 2010, the buyers negotiated the price with us because the house was at the point where it was going to need a new roof, so we lowered the price after the inspection. Those are all large expensive repairs. Don't sweat the small stuff but definitely if it's a major cost, then yes try and renegotiate. Unless the house is very underpriced.

We'd really need to know the list of repairs that you want in order to advise you on what to do. Home inspection re-negotiation should really just be for items that matter and were unexpected and expensive. It isn't to cross little items off the "Honey-Do" list.

The "yard work" item intrigues me. Do you mean grading around the house because I can't think of anything else that would fall into that category that would be applicable to ask to be fixed. I'm not saying that there isn't anything else ... I just can't think of it.

and give them the option of what they want to fix

That just seems odd to me. "Here's 10 things ... fix whatever 5 you want". Unless you mean that you'll give them a list and just expect that they will re-negotiate and only pick a few of the items.

And also, depending on the item, it might be better to ask for a price reduction and fix it yourself instead of getting them to repair it. Then you know that it'll be fixed properly.

It's difficult to advise when we have no idea what it is you're dealing with. So generically:

Firstly, if you knew about any of these items before the inspection, you should have factored that into your offer and negotiations. So now is not the time to ask them to repave the driveway due to the sinkhole in the middle of it (for example - unless they had a car parked over it to hide it during all your showings).

Then there are the safety & code issues - anything that they're going to have to fix for any buyer. Here in Florida, the roof has to have 3-5 years of life left (as determined by a licensed roof inspector) or the buyer can't get homeowners insurance. So unless it's a cash deal (no insurance requirement) they will have to fix it for you or for anyone else, so they just have to suck it up and fix it, before you can even close - no escrow because you have to have insurance at closing (for example) Asbestos, aluminum wiring, that plastic plumbing that I can't remember the name of, any of the four-points insurance requirement, unpermitted work, etc. NOTE: when I say "code", I mean the code that was in place when the house was built or the work was done. Don't ask to bring a home up to current code - I don't know anywhere that is required for a sale of a house - real safety issues only.

But, other than for insurance reasons, to want something fixed or replaced when it is working perfectly would be something to stay away from. For example, older but perfectly functioning appliances, HVAC, etc. Some inspectors will say something like, "hot water heaters usually have a 15-year life before they have to be replaced, and this water heater is 14 years old." Should you ask to have it replaced? I mean, it could last for another 10 years, who knows? If it works fine, not leaking, asking the seller to replace it is crazy (from their perspective). If you're that worried about it, get a home warranty to cover (and ask the seller to pay for the first year).

Remember it's a used home. It's not going to be perfect. I've seen sellers who fall all over themselves to try to make it all perfect and would be pleased to fix everything. Other sellers have lived with it for years and years and it never bothered them so they can't be bothered to fix it for you. If we're talking about caulking the fixtures in the bathtub, just do it yourself after you move in! I'm sure there are YouTube videos that can show you how to do it if you don't know. Don't piss off the sellers because of a mis-matched light switch cover plate that only requires a flat-head screwdriver and about $2 to fix.

They can reduce their price by the cost of all the repairs and let you fix everything to your satisfaction. Or, let the house go to another buyer.

thanks for all the great input. Sorry if I was vague on the results of the inspection.

I understand that much of the inspection uncovers things that are trivial and can be repaired easily or are not really going to matter to the buyer, like the fact that our stair ways don't have a continuous hand rail (I could care less).

Our inspection showed the following things that we found concerning and wanted to address with seller:

a) Large driveway cracks (but I guess we saw these when we negotiated the house so I figure we can't talk about these right?),

b) Exterior door to walk out basement defective - seal broken in double pane of glass door

c) Firewall in garage not completed

d) Bulging areas on outside wall of house and on one wall of basement wall possibly due to termite? There was previous termite treatment in 1986 as noted in disclosure but inspector wants further investigation to see if it was corrected appropriately and no further damage or infestation, will need to have structural engineer come in.

d) Electrical: main panel need to be re-labelled, double tap has to be corrected, bond jumper missing, some outlets replaced with CGFI outlets.

e) concern with sighting of "Fungi", inspector returning this week to test actual type of fungi and see if it is harmful and the extent of it.

f) Plumbing: minor leak under laundry, stopper in master bath broken

g) VTR Sewer Vent too close to a window (should be 10 feet away!).

Essentially, we are waiting to see results of the mold testing, and if this is not a big issue we are going to see what we can negotiate about the other things the inspector found that came up as concerns for us. If there is going to be a big to-do with the mold and they are not willing to cover cost for that, then we will prob have to walk away from the house because we wont be able to cover the cost for that.

We already had a hard time negotiating with the sellers in the first place about everything. When we first saw the house we noted that the HVAC and water heater were all pretty past prime and tried to negotiate that into price, we also tried to negotiate the cracked driveway and some older windows but they wouldn't budge... they even relisted the home at a higher price and there was a biddng war with 4 other buyers!!! But we really loved the house and see so much potential in it and ended up spending more than we had wanted.

At this point, we cannot afford (nor do I think we should have to) to pay for mold removal or termite treatment if it does come up that these are issues, but I wouldn't be suprised if they are not going to negotiate much on anything. I am mentally prepared for that but also prepared to walk away if we are expected to add anymore money into it.

Sounds like you are focused on the right things. The mold and the bulging (termite or not) are real concerns.

Wow! The seller has an advantage if there was a bidding war. We are kinda in the same boat but on the seller side. DH's former house co-owned with his ex is in escrow. They have done all the major repairs (including termite and mold remediation) prior to listing it.

There were two offers, and mid-negotiation with the first another came in that was better. The first buyer has a back up in, which is making the current escrow buyers a little nervous.

Inspection report came back and the costs for repairs and fixes are under $2000, so DH is meeting today with contractors to get it all done. Difference here is DH REALLY wants that house sold. He's tired of making those payments. I wonder how motivated your sellers are. Doesn't sound like they are since they want to fix nothing. I wish you luck and sometimes these things turn out for the best. If you must walk away, there will be another even better.

We moved into this home 2 years ago after putting 3 full price cash offers on other "dream" homes only to be outbid by investors. One was a blessing. We later found out that one of those dreams turned out to be a costly nightmare for the buyer who won the bidding war, so sometimes it's best to just keep looking. The home with which we ended up is something we never even thought was in the scope of our dreams. Right place. Right time.

Keep us posted on how this goes. Wishing you the best outcome possible!

a) Large driveway cracks (but I guess we saw these when we negotiated the house so I figure we can't talk about these right?),

Right! Ignore that item.

b) Exterior door to walk out basement defective - seal broken in double pane of glass door

Is the broken seal the defect or is there something else? If it's just the broken seal then that's another item that you probably should have seen before the inspection (assuming that the window is cloudy).

c) Firewall in garage not completed

A little bit of drywall doesn't cost much. I probably wouldn't bother adding this (unless there's more to it than I'm thinking.)

d) Bulging areas on outside wall of house and on one wall of basement
wall possibly due to termite?...

Significant. Look into this and make it a part of the negotiation if it actually is a problem.

d) Electrical: main panel need to be re-labelled, double tap has to
be corrected, bond jumper missing, some outlets replaced with CGFI
outlets.

Insignificant.

e) concern with sighting of "Fungi", inspector returning this week
to test actual type of fungi and see if it is harmful and the extent of
it.

Significant. Look into this and make it a part of the negotiation if it actually is a problem.

f) Plumbing: minor leak under laundry, stopper in master bath broken

Insignificant

g) VTR Sewer Vent too close to a window (should be 10 feet away!).

Sounds like it may be a cheap fix to extend the vent somewhere else.

Given that there was a bidding war, there is very little incentive for the sellers to fix anything. If you don't buy the house, someone else will. A seller isn't obligated to fix anything.

So I'd ignore everything other than the mold and termites. You'll have to pay to get those looked into. Then negotiate with those if they are a problem. Because once the sellers know about a problem, they have to disclose it to the next potential buyers. At this point, they may be able to claim ignorance but once you show that it actually is a problem (if it is), then the value of the house will go down accordingly and that's where your leverage comes from. But even then, the seller doesn't have to do anything. They could choose to just take a chance on another buyer even with the known defects.

I agree with what greg wrote. Saved me a lot of typing. :)

Greg just saved me a lot of typing too. Everything except the possible mold and termite problems is not something to negotiate on. In fact if I was the seller and you came to me with those items, I'd probably laugh. HOWEVER, the mold and the termites could be significant problems and you need to get that checked out by professionals. If it turns out to be a major problem then yes, I would suggest that you definitely renegotiate and if they refuse, then walk away. Something better will come along.

It depends, even if there was a bidding war. Presumably the next buyers will notice the same defects and ask for them to be addressed, especially if they need to be disclosed now.
I'd focus on getting more information about the two potentially main items: The bulging/possible termite and possible mold.
How much is the broken seal?

Ah ... a sliding glass door. That's a little more expensive than what I was picturing (ie. just a small window in a regular door).
That might be an item that you could include in a normal sale, but in this case I'd expect the seller to just dismiss it. Again, since it was a bidding war there isn't any incentive for them to fix it. Somebody else would just accept that defect because it isn't going to break the bank to fix it.

Personally, I'd still just focus on the main two items.

Did you get the test results back? Are you moving forward on this house? Just curious!

Inquiring minds want to know.

Congratulations! You are correct... after a few weeks in the home, you will have forgotten the little inspection items that you had to deal with. In the big picture, it is not worth losing the home to someone else.