"Shiba" wrote in message
ups.com...
I'm in the process of selling my house. It was built in 1965, I am the
second owner, having resided here for 7 years. When I bought the home,
I had an inspection done. The inspector basically said that the house
was pretty clean. He went into the crawl space and didn't note any
real defects. The only thing that he noted was to watch out for a
front deck where wood was touching earth (which I ripped out and put in
exposed agregate). Another was that the roof was a torchdown (since
there is a flat area over the enclosed carport), and just to watch that
I kept the debris off of it, but it was otherwise in good shape. He
also said that there was some slight settling (1" to 2" max) in the
foundation on a corner of the house. That inspector said that wasn't a
problem, that it was normal in a house this age.

I'm in the Seattle metro area, which has an extremely hot housing
market right now. My home is in a desirable neighborhood and I've
spent quite a bit of money updating the kitchen, main bathroom, and
landscaping in this home. I also replaced the water heater and
converted the furnace to forced air gas two years ago. I asked 269K for
this 1941 sq foot home...I had a lot of activity, lots of lookers and
interested parties. We were averaging 1 to 2 showings a day and then
we have a bite on day 6, with a woman making an offer on the spot.

Ironically, the day before this offer, we suspect that this same woman
called my realtor "fishing" for information and asking about arranging
a showing with my realtor: She said her name was Pat, that she was
moving here from Idaho, asking things like: "Is she firm on the price?
How anxious to sell? etc..." The next day, this woman shows up at
the house with her agent (her son) and makes an offer on the spot.
Ironically, this buyer's middle name is Pat and she just sold her house
in *gasp* Idaho. She and her son write up an offer that night. First
off, she low balls me 5K off of the asking price, which is fine. I
countered and met her halfway at 267K and she immediately accepted.
She schedules her home inspection immediately, within 24 hours...

Now that are nit picking to death every little thing they could find
with this 41 year old home! All of the defects were supposedly found
in the crawl space. She found the same slight settling that I had
recorded 7 years ago (no change or movement in foundation). She gave
me this laundry list of things to fix before she will buy:

Correct slope in floor & leaning support post
fix leak in kitchen sink drain
Tighten main bath toilet to floor
Replace wax ring in other toilet (2nd bathroom)
repair leaking bathtub drain
repair leaking water supply line
place all electrical wires under house in junction boxes
remove wood plumbing & heating supports & replace with plumbing straps
reconnect heating duct
vent dryer to side of house
reattach insulation that has fallen in crawlspace & unblock vents

She wants the house jacked up and that area under foundation repaired
so there is no settling, which I know wont be cheap. Replacing wax
rings is no big deal..... but I feel like I am getting nickel and
dimed here. I'm ready to have this be a deal breaker and walk. Of
course my agent is bending over backwards, wanting this deal to close
so she can get paid...I feel like she is more concerned about the buyer
than me. She's also saying that we will have to do a new sellers
disclosure and document all of these findings, which could scare off
new potential buyers.

I'm thinking about getting my own appraisal and a second inspection
(which I am kicking myself for not doing in the first place). Just to
see if these problems are real "deal breakers" or if she is just being
nit pickey. Or should I just give her the finger and keep on
fishing...

I can't help but wonder if the inspector is a family member to her like
her son realtor. She sure is anxious and wants the house....

Any words of advice from people that have been through this kind of
thing?

Yes - These things should have been fixed before you put the house on the
market. Nothing here is really that major and a general handy man could fix
them all in a day. The only exception is the foundation. I would say the
following to your potential buyer...

I will fix the following:
- leaning support post
- fix leak in kitchen sink drain
- Tighten main bath toilet to floor
- Replace wax ring in other toilet (2nd bathroom) (Assuming there is a leak
detectable, why else would it need replaced)
- repair leaking bathtub drain
- repair leaking water supply line
- place all electrical wires under house in junction boxes
- reconnect heating duct
- vent dryer to side of house
- reattach insulation that has fallen in crawlspace & unblock vents

I will not
- Correct slope in floor
- remove wood plumbing & heating supports & replace with plumbing straps

The slope could be a major thing or no big deal but I wouldn't go there. The
replacement of wood straps with newer style is stupid if the wood is doing
what is intended. Everything else SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIXED AS MATTER OF COURSE
FOR ANY HOMEOWNER. You should not have been living with these defects. These
things, when left unattended, can lead to very expensive repairs. So, by
offering to make these repairs you are fixing things that should have been
fixed anyway and you are meeting somewhere in the middle.

regarding your agent - You must realize - the agent is NOT out to maximize
the price (and hence their commission) this is a myth. They are more
interested in a quick sale. let me know if you want more details on this
point.