Realtors...am I being unreasonable?

That's all you are really talking about, a negotiation of relative price. IF the shower needs to be fixed it effects the value of the house. Either they fix it and you pay the agreed price for a ready-to-go house or they don't and the house is worth less by the amount needed to repair it.

What's the estimate to fix it? Would you have the cash left after your DP and costs to fix it? If not probably the best approach is for the seller to fix it so the cost gets built into the price and the financing you expect.

But also, how willing are to go back to square 1 looking for a house> That is worth something, but is it worth the hassle and cost to fix the shower? I actually don't think it's that big a deal to to break out the tile , put in a new pan and re-tile it.

it looks like about a grand:
http://www.homewyse.com/services/cost_to_install_shower_pan.html

 

That sucks. The sellers seem like really unreasonable people. Good luck with the house hunt.

 

The sellers are now going to have to disclose the shower issue to any new prospects. Once they see they are probably going to have to fix it you might re-approach their agent. Give it a week, if you haven't found something else you want.
(and really a grand on a $200,000 house isn't that big a deal)

 

Out of curiosity, did you go under contract with them at the amount that was in your "best and last" offer you had referenced a few weeks back?

 

My feeling on the justice of it is that if there is a defect that is readily apparent to the buyer when he makes the offer, the buyer must pay. If the defect is is hidden but could reasonably be expected (like wear and tear) there is room for a negotiated settlement. If the defect is hidden and not reasonable to be expected (like bad construction), the seller should pay.

That was my experience with my house purchase gone wrong. We set a deadline and they thought we were bluffing, so they silently let the deadline pass. Then they started calling when they got the termination papers. I wonder how often that works for them -- are realtors often rewarded by calling after termination? Because to a neophyte like me it looks like a terrible strategy. Or is it that most of the time, the buyer is bluffing and will cave when the seller refuses to reply?

 

I think they should get their own contractor's estimate in writing and agree to pay the bill for repairs out their own pocket, work to be done after move out and before closing. (And, have their contractor provide you with a release of lien to show their debt is paid so he doesn't place a lien on your house, because he can if they didn't pay) They can charge it on their credit card and not pay the bill until after they have their closing proceeds.

everybody's happy

 

good luck Leroy.

Sounds like the house is yours if you want it. You're within a couple grand or so which isn't a huge deal in the long run. But a much better deal if it's in your pocket rather than theirs.

So decide if you want it, be sure you comfortable there isn't a lot more shoddy work you're unfamiliar with, watch Glengarry Glen Ross and make your move if you want to.

 

In that case you're golden. Be patient!

The husband's thinking, he's not getting his damn money, and Christmas is around the corner, and he ain't gonna have no money to buy his son the G.I. Joe with the kung-fu grip! And his wife ain't gonna make love to him if he got no money!" So they're panicking right now, they're screaming "SELL! SELL!" to get out before the price keeps dropping. They're panicking out there right now.

Good luck.

 

Lol, divide and conquer. But, it's hard to say. In my case I was talking about, our realtor was guessing from the the things the other realtor had said that she didn't even communicate our threat to walk away to her clients before we sent the termination papers. I don't know if he was right about that. But, it's fun to imagine the conversation she must have had with them the next morning.

 

Leroy, the only piece of advice I can give regarding a home purchase is to listen to the voice inside your head. We went to buy our first house back in 2003, there were 3 different instances that should have stopped me from buying the house. 3 different times the voice inside my head was telling me to walk (for various reasons which I won't bore you with). I ignored those opportunities to walk because my heart kept saying "it'll be ok". Fast forward 5 years and it ended up being the worst decision of our life. House started falling apart, neighborhood went to crap; combined with the market tanking...we were sunk in that house. Luckily we managed to sell it for only a $5K loss, but it took 4 years to accomplish that.

All I'm saying is...pay attention to the signs. If after all is said and done you still feel 100% great about the house, then congrats on the new crib. But if there is anything at all that gives you pause (and water damage could be a BIG one), then I'd seriously reconsider. Just my 2 cents.

Best of luck!