Where we live sellers are never present at the inspection. You just get the report of repairs, not the entire inspection. If the sale falls apart, and you know of all issues, you are on the hook to notify the next buyers of everything up front. We had a bunch of very minor, like changing cabinet knobs etc, but we took it for what it was worth because there was probably other more legit things she didn't ask for. The inspectors have a list of criteria too that they use. For example, our dryer vent clogged up and made the laundry room really humid for a month or so. We thought it was weather but it wasn't. The 2yo hot water heater rusted on the outside a little bit, according to the inspector's criteria, a rusted tank has to be marked at 10yo even though we had a receipt to prove it. They call it "estimated age" so they can be aware of the actual age and still value it differently. Just get through it and that's that.

A home inspection is not a code inspection by nationally accepted standardsÂ..and all state licensing. It is a popular fallacy that inspecting for code is part of a home inspection, but it is not...it is beyond the scopeÂand usually states as such in the pre-inspection agreement that should be provided to the buyer prior to inspection. It is indeed an inspection of the major systems and structure of the homeÂÂas well as an inspection for safety issues. While safety issues are often code violations, depending upon where one resides and their city/town code, a safety issue may or may not be a code violation. Realistically, no home inspector can be expected to know the code variances for every municipality in his/her state, and to keep on top of the constant changesÂ..which is why most municipalities have their own licensed code officials who are knowledgeable about the local code requirements. In addition, older homes have an inherent number of code violationsÂÂBUT they are grandfathered in are if they are original to the home and only must be brought to current code if a renovation is performed. This does not mean that home inspectors know nothing about codeÂsome know quite a bitÂsome know next to nothing. However, if they are not trained as code inspectors any code violations that a home inspector pontificates upon should absolutely be verified as such by the local a municipality code inspector, before any funds are spent to make changes. Anything cited as a safety issue should come with an explanation as to why it poses a safety hazard. Logic dictates that anything that compromises safety should be repaired. Last but not least, in such a buyers market, it really would behoove sellers to make all repairs beforehand, leaving little if anything to interfere with the deal once the findings of the home inspection are provided to the buyer.

I find buyers who attempt to renegotiate price after an inspection ridiculous. If it isn't an unknown, previously undetected SAFETY issue, I'm not fixing it. I do all the work I am going to do before I list it. Otherwise, you are on your own, and my price has accommodated any deficiencies. Some attempt to throw dozens or hundreds of requests at the Seller, often that are entirely upgrades, not deficiencies, in an attempt to either get improvements or get a lower price. That only creates more intractability in Sellers like me. I will sell to someone else just because he didn't ask for anything unreasonable. You get what you see, not a brand new house. I had a buyer ask for a brand new screen door to be obtained and installed last time since the brand new, brand name, high end sliding doors didn't happen to come with one. Yeah, right. Go away. You saw that it had no screen door when you looked at the house. One isn't going to magically appear afterward. When they do that, I simply say no.

You won't know unless you ask. You know if you made an offer based on the general apparent condition. None of us know this from your post. The price could have been an inflated price. We just don't know the entire situation. Inspections are the time to renegotiate if you have discovered a deficient situation and that knowledge would indicate a concession on the part of the seller. If you already knew or suspected issues and this is reflected in your offer, feel confident about your offer. Only you know if the price is still acceptable to you after completing the inspections. My personal point of view in a real estate transaction is based on whether I'm selling or I'm buying. My view changes according to my position. The one thing that I do know is no one will look out for your interest more than you. No need to be a jerk, but driving a hard bargain is okay. Never be afraid to walk away. No one loves your money like you love your money.