Home Inspections, Is Perception Reality?

The house I grew up in had it's issues. The house I lived in 10 years ago has it's issues and the house I live in today has it's issues. They are all good houses and still proudly standing today. What I call character, a home inspector might call "a front entry door with torn weatherstripping that needs to be evaluated and replaced by a licensed contractor". Can a purchaser's negative perception of home inspection results be skewed from reality? Can the seller have an overblown perception of a reasonable request for repairs? You betcha! Too often it can make for a sour tasting transaction when it doesn't have to be that way.

I am certainly not trying to make light of the results of a home inspection, nor am I suggesting any licensed real estate agent should. But if you've been around long enough, you have had to say, "Give me a break!" From time to time, buyers and sellers get hung up on the little things that can make you scratch your head and wonder, "What are they thinking?" I know from a purchaser's perspective a short list of maintenance items can look much more costly than it actually is. And from a sellers perspective the effort and cost of minor repairs can seem more tedious and expensive than truth has it.

When I first began selling homes, I would let myself get caught up in the whirlwind of negotiating home inspections. Sometimes letting my client's unrealistic perception and negativity cloud both of our judgement. I even lost deals over the smallest items. I finally learned to shift my paradigm and see straight. If the house is structurally sound and the major systems are in proper working condition, then it's a great inspection. And I let my sellers or buyers know that's my real opinion.

The fact is that we all live in houses with minor maintenance issues. I do try and have my sellers repair or replace anything glaringly obvious before the house goes on the market, but sometimes small items are missed or forgotten. When I represent a purchaser, I let them know long before stepping foot into a house that home inspections protect them from investing in a home with major problems and to let them know about all of the little issues that will come up along the way. A house is a living breathing organism and maintenance comes up, period.

I think you have to have a very positive attitude when it comes to negotiating home inspection items. Let your client know how pleased you are that there aren't any "catastrophic" issues and that the cost of the repairs is a small percentage of the value of the home (if that's really the case). If either party is really obstinate then I will go as far as kicking-in to get the deal to work. The cost is always much less than finding another home or putting one back on the market. Often times the willingness to bend on my part goes a long way with getting referrals.

The bottom line is that I know sometimes "perception is not reality" for buyers and sellers when it comes to home inspection results, but a positive, goal oriented approach can help bring things into perspective for all parties and move the transaction in the right direction.