ABA Family Legal Guide

Buying and Selling a Home

The Steps of Buying and Selling a Home

Home Inspections

What can the seller do if he or she disagrees with an inspection report?

Your response as a seller to a negative inspection report will depend on the buyer. Sometimes, such a report will scare away the buyer. If you strongly disagree with the inspection, you may want to obtain your own written inspection, copies of which you can provide to prospective buyers.

One response to a negative inspection report is negotiating a resolution to the problems discovered by the inspector. For example, if the inspector discovers that your home has inadequate or outdated electrical wiring, the seller may offer to have the wiring updated or to reduce the price by an agreed-upon sum to cover the buyer's costs of updating the wiring.

As a seller, you should be aware that some home buyers will take any problems and turn them into major roadblocks, hoping to force an anxious seller to reduce the selling price. If you find yourself dealing with such a buyer, you may be better off to simply refuse further negotiations, let the offer expire, return the buyer's deposit, and place the home back on the market. Even if you believe that the buyer's complaints are without merit, it could be time-consuming and costly to insist on compliance with the contract if there is an inspection contingency.