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Selling House Inspection Report To-Do List Bathroom Floor?
Hello, eight days before we where supposed to close our buyers dropped out because they decided they could not afford the payments. (Long story, but it was a breach of contract and my lawyer is handling that now). Anyway, now my house is back on the market. Now I am trying to turn a negative into a positive. I took the home inspection they had done and had all the plumbing things on there fixed. Now the only thing left is one of the bathroom floors. I have an area between the toilet and the tub that has buckled and the ceramic tiles including the sub-floor will need to be replaced. It is not noticeable unless an inspection is done. It will cost about 700 to fix. Should I just have it done or wait until it comes up in the inspection and give the buyers a credit? We don't have much money since we have been stuck in a double mortgage situation because of these buyers. The house is in great condition new roof, siding, windows etc... What should I do?

Posted by subzerobears on 08/20/07
Total Answers: 11

Answers-

offer to take the cost of the repair off the asking price, if you can't fix it yourself

Answer posted by beachbum on 2007-08-20 06:46:37

fix it! if you can get it doen a buyere looks at theis and thinks the house is great but couldi fall thru the floor if i use the toilet! it may be an expense but the more people that want the house the better buyers dont want to have issues when they are buying. the report could scare off potential buyers the sooner you sell the better. buyers will tend ot offer lower amounts on a home they have to fix!

Answer posted by beachlover on 2007-08-20 06:47:21

have it fixed in the long run it will save you you dont want the hose on the market any longer than it needs to be

Answer posted by pearlmel on 2007-08-20 06:50:58

Since it sounds like it involves replacing the actual flooring material (the tiles), I personally would wait and give the buyers a credit. The reason why I would do that is because they might prefer to change the tiles to a different color, or put down linoleum, or do something completely different. I have been told by others who know about these things that when it's a question of doing something like replacing carpet or something like that, where the buyer's taste might be different from your own, it's always better to state right up front that you will give them a credit to have it done. I actually had a friend tell me there are two good reasons to do that. The first is, obviously, that they might want to change it completely, and it just wastes money if you have it done and they get in and decide they want purple and green tiles in the room. The second is that if you give them the credit, they have to hire the person to fix it--if a problem pops up later because of shoddy work, you are off the hook. They cannot come back and say that you did something wrong or inappropriate, or that you cut corners. You will be completely out of if, and if the person who does the repairs makes a mistake, it isn't your problem. So I'd go with letting them handle it themselves, and giving them a credit.

Answer posted by Bronwen on 2007-08-20 06:51:22

I would probably wait until inspection again, and do the buyer's credit. Hang on to your money since you don't know right now how long you will be in a double mortgage situation, and funds are already tight.

Answer posted by Courtney S on 2007-08-20 06:51:41

I would just get it fixed - because in the long run, maybe your first buyers backed out, but the next ones won't - I'm a little amazed that it first will cost you $700 to fix - I think it's time to call in favors - If that fails, go to Home Depot or Lowes & get very good instuctions & tackle it yourself - In the end you'll save yourself at least more than 1/2 -

Answer posted by Lords of Stockton on 2007-08-20 06:52:10

i think you should let the inspector tell you. don't fix anything you have not been required to fix. if you fix it, then possibly the inspector is going to find something else wrong with something else and you will be fixing that too. you have already discounted your house and the discount should be enough to sell as is. the home inspection is normally just nit picking to find anything wrong to negotiate with the home owner for extra money. you will get a home inspector and be picky when you buy your next place too. i would sell as is. if the item comes up and you will feel you will lose the sale offer to credit them the 500.00 so that they can pick the new tiles . go up if you have to. they will love this and i guarantee most people will not fix that if it is behind the toilet.

Answer posted by Mildred S on 2007-08-20 06:55:11

If you wait and fix it after the buyers require it they may be picky as to how it is done and never like how it turns out. I would fix it now so that conversation would never happen.

Answer posted by glenn on 2007-08-20 07:01:57

Let me Put it plain and simple, It's Called (T.D.S.) Transfer Disclosure Statement. If you know about it and dont comment on it to your new Buyer in the T.D.S. then it may lead to a law suit. If you dont plan on fixing it , For your best Intrest Disclose it Dont Hide It......

Answer posted by ME T on 2007-08-20 22:46:27

Your state most likely requires you to disclose known defects. So you would actually be violating the law if you kept quiet about the floor. Fix it. This is why: 1. A defect in the subfloor will raise serious questions in the buyer's mind about what else is wrong with the house. 2. Instead of accepting your credit, your buyer might instead walk away from the transaction after discovering the problem themselves. 3. A $700 credit translates into maybe 10 cents a day over the course of a 30-year mortgage. Not enough savings for a buyer to put up with the hassle. Just spend the money and get the house sold.

Answer posted by rochelletherealtor on 2007-08-23 19:10:25

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