Do Sellers Generally Make Repairs?
It's About WHO Will Do the Repairs
Many sellers are not keen on fixing costly and time consuming repairs revealed on an inspection or engineer's report. You may have an eager seller that makes your life easier and is compliant, but buyers are not always in the frame of mind to fix something on a prospective house when they can buy a house that doesn't require repairs. Now, if the costs are not too high, there are sellers who will consider fixing items found in the report. Things like caulking a bathroom tub, lights or fans that don't work, and things that don't require a lot of effort to repair or replace are some things a seller might agree on doing. But putting in a new AC unit or a new furnace might not be things they would be willing to do. They would rather leave that up to the buyer.
What is Essential?
If there are safety issues such as mold in parts of the home that are removable or electrical panels that can be fixed, something that could cause danger to the prospective homeowner or impose a future liability on the seller, the seller might make a move to do the repairs. Painting rooms, replacing carpet that you do not like are not things the seller would relish doing in order to sell his home. Now, that doesn't mean he might not spruce up his house just to sell it, but cosmetic changes or things you don't like are not going to be items that sellers jump at the chance to change. In other words, pleasing you has a limit.
Make a Short List
Don't go to contract signing with a list a mile long of things you want fixed. If you are negotiating a sales price with a seller, it's entirely possible he may reduce his price so you can do repairs yourself after you close. But some of the items on your list may very well encourage the seller to do what you are asking if he truly wants to sell his house. Repairs that are deemed essential can be easier to convince a seller to fix. Safety issues such as upgrading electrical panels or defective outlets or removing mold can generally get a homeowner to budge because the repairs would prevent harm to the buyer and future liability for the seller. Requests for repairs that are non-essential such as worn-out counter tops or new paint in a bedroom might not be greeted as enthusiastically by a seller.
Closing the Deal Sooner Rather Than Later
Sellers want their homes sold as quickly as possible. If you make a solid offer that is not outrageously reduced, you have a good chance of getting that home or at least negotiating a better price.
Also, if you are pre-qualified and can prove to the seller that you are a worthy candidate for a mortgage, the seller may go the second mile to do some of the repairs you placed on your list. It all depends on what type of market exists at the time. If it's a buyer's market, the seller may be easily moved.
There's an old saying, "pick your battles". So be smart, be wise, and there's a good chance you'll get that house if you keep up your confidence and just go for it!
Got Questions?
Home Ownership Studies
- Data shows that single women in the United States are more likely to own homes than their male counterparts.
- A recent LendingTree study found that about 13 percent of single women own homes, compared to 10 percent of single men.
- Some experts say women’s greater longevity and caregiving responsibilities may be contributing to that difference.
- Single women in the United States are outpacing single men in homeownership.
- A 2023 Pew Research Center survey using 2022 census data found that single women owned 58 percent of the nearly 35.2 million homes owned by unmarried Americans, while single men owned 42 percent. A recent study from Lending Tree showed a similar — though smaller — gap, finding that around 13 percent of single women own a home, compared to about 10 percent of single men.
- The reason behind this disparity in homeownership is unclear.
- Housing researchers believe it could be linked to women’s longer life expectancy, disproportionate caregiving responsibilities and—in the case of younger women in particular—a narrowing gender wage gap.
- The Pew report attributes the difference to the number of older women who outlive their partners.
- Homeownership rates among unmarried adults rise with age, according to the report. About 70 percent of single heads of households aged 65 or older own their home, compared to 44 percent of those between the ages of 35 and 44.
- And women tend to live longer. The average life expectancy for men in the United States is about 73 years, compared to about 79 for women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Source: FastStats - Life Expectancy (cdc.gov)
- “A lot of women tend to stay with the house when their husband dies, which typically leads to homeownership,” said Juan Gonzalez, an adjunct professor of finance and business economics at the USC Marshall School of Business.
- Women’s higher longevity may not account for the full disparity, however.
- While the Pew report found that the gender difference in homeownership rates was limited to older unmarried adults, the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) 2024 annual homebuyer and sellers generational trend report shows single women bought homes at higher rates than single men last year regardless of age.
- Overall, the NAR report found single women accounted for 19 percent of homebuyers, while single men made up 10 percent.
- That difference is similar among several age groups, though it narrows among older Gen Zers and Millennials while widening among most older adults.
- NAR’s Deputy Chief Economist Jessica Lautz told The Hill it’s hard to determine why single women are outperforming their male counterparts in home buying.
- But she said women’s disproportionate caregiving responsibilities may have something to do with it.
- “They’re more likely to be single moms, and they’re more likely to be purchasing a multi-generational home,” said Lautz. “So, they may have an elderly relative within that home as well.”