Seller concessions in home sale

**forHISglory** · 07-30-2009, 08:20 AM

We are selling our home and it's an eye opening experience. What has amazed us to most are all the things that the buyers demand that we do to the house before selling.

I certainly understand some things that might be wrong need to be corrected. For instance, we had a breaker in the electrical box that needed to be replaced. I believe that it is our obligation to do this, and other like-minded things.

But some things just blow us away. They want us to redo some cosmetic aspects of the home. These are not safety issues, and the home is in immaculate condition. They just didn't like certain light fixtures and want us to buy different ones. They want a different paint color in the dining room. Things like that.

We don't want to lose the sale, but we find this ridiculous. Have you ever come up against something like this? How did you handle it?

We are thinking of responding that if the sale fails to close due to any reason, that the buyers would pay us for the cost of installing the new lights and the cost of repainting, and also pay to have the other lights put back in, and pay for having the walls repainted.

I could use any advice you can give! Thanks

**2ndGenGranola** · 07-30-2009, 08:33 AM

Back when Dad sold his house and even when we sold ours we had "one of those". We would be in tears laughing at some of the demands and what some people think they are entitled to.

Talk with the Realtor and set up a minimal cosmetic allowance - and I do mean minimal. If I had to sell again, I might just set up one before anyone said anything so the Realtor could just point that out because some just want to game play. I'm not interested in gaming.

You could also just say "no". Its up to you. It is not your job to redecorate for them.

Dad had a couple like this look at his house. We called her "psycho woman" (she was the one driving it, not the hubby). I would actually look forward to his calls and the updates on her. Anyway my brother (the one in charge of the house deal) said "no" and another guy jumped in and swooped up the house.

**ml2620** · 07-30-2009, 08:39 AM

FHG - I've never heard of such a thing, and believe me I've looked at A LOT of real estate. I would push back a little, it's a matter of taste really. Perhaps offer to "gift" them $250 at closing as a housewarming gift. It's more than the cost of a light fixture and a bucket of paint, and less of a hassle for you.

They are asking because they think they can, I seriously doubt they would walk away from the sale for those reasons. They'd be idiots, they have already paid for an inspection and to talk away over less than $100 in paint and fixtures is ridiculous.

**forHISglory** · 07-30-2009, 08:46 AM

What kinds of things DO you give concessions on?

**monkeywrangler71** · 07-30-2009, 08:56 AM

It's a buyer's market and they are using that to take advantage of you. I would agree to any safety issues that came up during inspection, as they may need them fixed before closing in order to get insurance, but there is no way I would start redecorating for them. What if they change their minds about the colour, what if they don't think it was done well enough, what if they find flaws in the paint job? Will you have to do it again? Will they use it as a loophole out of the sale? Sue you later? Give them a cosmetic allowance if necessary, but I would go to any length possible to avoid doing the work for them.

**Greebo** · 07-30-2009, 08:57 AM

Originally Posted by forHISglory

What kinds of things DO you give concessions on?

In a sellers market? Nothing.

In a buyer's market? A lot.

Right now, it's a buyer's market. You can counter, but the buyer will have no problem finding some other house to buy.

**2ndGenGranola** · 07-30-2009, 09:07 AM

Originally Posted by forHISglory

What kinds of things DO you give concessions on?

1960's shag carpet, 30 y/o paint job, broken fixtures, outside trim needing paint...

I agree with the other poster -- if you do have it painted, something will be wrong and/or she will keep adding to her list.

**nuisance26** · 07-30-2009, 09:26 AM

~One part of me is annoyed that they want you to do their work for them and another part of me is reminded of something Jesus said. I usually don't get preachy on the forums but I think you'll 'get' what I'm saying with this, FHG.

And then of course there's the classic expression 'You need to spend money to make money".
I would concede with a certain allowance as an act of hospitality.~

**Greebo** · 07-30-2009, 09:31 AM

Abandon the idea that there's any obligatory standard of behavior in a house transaction. This is a private sale of a hugely valuable item. The buyer can ASK for anything they want. The seller can agree, or not, as they see fit.

That's the negotiation process. There is no "their work for them, my work for me" in this process - ALL is negotiable.

The sooner you get rid of the personal feelings and take on a "this is business" mindset, the happier you will be.

**Telephus44** · 07-30-2009, 09:39 AM

In a buyer's market, these are little extras. If it's only $100 worth of paint, then why are you complaining about giving up another $100? My In-laws sold a house in the early 80's during the real estate crash, and yes, they repainted three rooms to meet the demands of the buyer. Maybe the buyer works three jobs and while he wants a green living room, will find it hard to find the time to paint it and it's easier to ask you to do it than get a "cosmetic allowance."

We asked for some electrical problems to be fixed, a receipt to prove that they cleaned the furnace (since our inspection shows it was dirty) and for them to fix the pulldown stairs for the attic. They wanted free access to their garden and to remove some bushes. I thought that was a little unusual for a seller, but we agreed to it.

**prairiewife** · 07-30-2009, 10:24 AM

I agree that improvements you are willing to make depend on the market in your area. If all they are asking for is a few hundred dollars in improvements I think I would go ahead and do them.

Paint colors and lighting are such personnal choices though. What if they don't like how it turns out. Would these improvements be made after they have signed a contract to buy so you can be assured they won't ask for anything else?

Telephus44 makes a good point. Maybe it's just an issue of time.

When I bought my first house I looked forward to doing these things myself. Picking out paint colors and updating the house was fun for me. But I enjoy doing these types of things, they may not.

**Teresa T** · 07-30-2009, 02:24 PM

Your buyers sound weird. I'm sorry about that.

When I sold my house earlier this year, the buyers were first timers with a pre-approved FHA loan and everything went off without a hitch. They were young and ready to tackle anything on their own. The house was in good shape but needed some cosmetic things like the yard was bad. But they were young and energetic so this did not phase them.

I replaced a toilet that never worked right anyway. I would not have wanted to leave them with that even if it was left for me, among many other things. And of coarse I paid for all pest repairs which were not too bad.

I also know I paid a lot of their closing costs. I didn't care. I was glad to have a buyer with a loan in place.

Your buyers worry me. They seem ultra picky. Most buyers will put those cosmetic touches on themselves such as fixtures and paint.

Perhaps have your agent put an "as is" clause in the contract. That does not mean you don't reveal any defects. You still have to. It just means you are not going to change or fix. This should not be a problem if it's minor.

I wish you the best luck and hope your sale goes through. I know how stressful this process is!

**frugalfranny** · 07-30-2009, 06:37 PM

Yeah, in a buyers market you really have to be open to negotiate.

Some good points were made in the other posts. Also sounds like you have a really picky couple that are pushing......how bad do you want to sell? I agree with the clause insert to CYOA......in case they are just 'testing'.........good luck and keep us posted.

**pollypurebred39** · 07-31-2009, 01:49 AM

I've heard buyers ask for sewer/septic fixes, roof repairs, tiles from floors to be repaired if they were coming up, ect. Things that were in disrepair or dangerous like radon levels were high, lead paint. But never ever cosmetic. Cosmetic things people say and counter with a lower bid. I think the fact that you're hesitating tells you somethings not right about these requests. If you do, it's like the others have said, what if it's not good enough? You might put out $ and a lot of effort and It just might come back to bite you in the end. I would firmly plant my feet to the ground and decline.

And if they do buy your home an as is clause might save you a huge headache.

**militlady** · 07-31-2009, 02:08 AM

When we sold our house 2 years ago, we painted the exterior of the house to suit the buyers because we had planned on painting it anyways because the paint was peeling on the back of the house. But the buyers payed for the paint. It was actually a color I would never have chosen but I was fine with it because we put in our contract that if they backed out of the sale, they had to pay to repaint it to a color of our choosing.

I think that the buyers of your house asking for you to repaint the walls and change the fixtures is really pushing it.