When a home buyer asks a seller to make repairs to a property after a home inspection, how do the repairs get verified? Do they get verified? Do they need to be verified? I recently blogged about a hack chimney repair that I found at a re-inspection, which raises the question - are re-inspections necessary?
I sent out an email to several real estate agents that I respect and have had recent communication with, to ask about their take on the importance of re-inspections. Not surprisingly, their answers were all very similar. I've compiled the most common statements below.
Try to avoid asking the seller to make repairs. If the seller is going to make repairs, they're probably going to do the least amount of work possible, use the least amount of money possible, and the repairs will often be sub-par or just plain unacceptable. It's often better to ask the sellers to fund repairs, or ask for the price of the home to be adjusted accordingly. The downside to adjusting the price of the home, however, is that the buyers will need to come up with cash to make repairs.
When requesting repairs, make sure everyone understands the issue(s). An excellent home inspection report will usually be enough to make everything clear and understandable. If there is any confusion, ask the home inspector for clarification.
A common problem with a repair request is to ask for the wrong thing to be fixed, or to specify an improper repair. For instance, if a furnace has a cracked heat exchanger, it would be just plain silly to ask for the crack to be repaired. The furnace needs to be replaced.

One of the more hilarious misunderstandings happened when the buyer asked the seller to address the plumbing vent flashings, which had rubber boots that had dried out and split (see photo at right). The seller told the buyer that they fixed the dried out boots by applying a lubricant. No joke. I can't make this stuff up.
When requesting repairs, request building permits. Not only does this force the seller to 'follow the rules', but it should make the buyer feel better knowing that the work was inspected by an authority, and it puts the cost of the re-inspection on to the seller's lap.
When requesting repairs, be specific. If the purchase agreement addendum is poorly written or isn't specific, the repairs won't be completed properly... if at all. A vague, poorly written addendum might say