Have had two (2) recent experiences where I found it far better for me as an agent to call and line up quotes and estimates on work requested by a Buyer to be done rather than my Seller. Please remember Sellers everywhere that especially right now when all contractors or trades are extremely busy, as opposed to a couple of years ago when they weren’t, that it will cost you more to randomly call a subcontractor and pull them off a job for an “urgency” of your own. Too I see contractors who are trying to “make a living” off home Sellers who seem especially anxious to get beyond a repair addendum and to a closing table!
The first example is a client who has a vinyl clad home in Jefferson, GA. The home had some issues upon Buyer inspection with some leaking around the base of the siding where it was installed improperly some years before. It was a simply fix, but the Seller had called “a siding guy” to take a look at it and the next thing you know, we are talking about a quote to replace the vinyl on the ENTIRE house with Hardie plank!?! That is taking a band-aid on a cut and turning it into open heart surgery! Not needed!
The second recent experience came yesterday. We were told in a repair addendum that there was a toilet leak from under Master Bathroom that needed repair and sewage clean up that was the result of the leak. After consulting with a plumber that the seller had called, she emailed me to say that the sewage clean up was to be $1800!?! No, the plumber had not seen the issue. No he had not done anything but throw a big fat number out there! Makes me wonder if he had done so “not” to get the work, but according to the inspector who I called to discuss this with personally as her agent, correct costing should be more like $300 based on the size of the spill.
My message is to let your agent work for you. I know contractors for example. We were also able to get a warranty, that I had placed on the house for my Seller during the listing period, to repair the leak for $75 not $300. I also know contractors who understand when I call them that we are trying to get repairs done to sell a house and get to closing, not rebuild the house? Sellers, if a repair addendum asks for “Items A, B, and C to be repaired,” we don’t need a contractor adding to that list based on what they feel needs to be done to do the job “better” in their minds. We need only what the Buyer asked to be addressed to be fixed. This inspector even mentioned to me on the phone, and again I represent in this case the Seller not the Buyer, that he could not see the flooring under the bathroom floor. He could tell there was a leak, but could not see if the flooring was damaged. He said he did not “want to pull the insulation away to check the floor.” Well, that is his job! It is not mine nor my Sellers to check the flooring. The Buyer wanted the leak fixed and wanted the spill cleaned up per what they provided to us in writing requesting certain repairs to be done prior to closing. That is it! We don’t go beyond what we need to do to make sure we are addressing the items requested of a Seller within an inspection addendum.
Let your agent do the work. This is another classic example of how an agent can probably save you money. Not just cost you fees to list a house! We were successfully able to reduce a total of a $2100 repair “guesstimate” from one plumber down to $325 of real repairs due to the warranty I put on the listing as part of my listing services at no cost to my Seller and out of having some contacts with trusted contractors who do work for my clients and know me.
(Source: Realty Times)
