There’s something about the home inspection process in selling your home that gets under my skin. I don’t know why it irks me to have the buyers come through with a professional to nitpick my house, but it just does. Outlining all the things that they are going to change or improve and “oh this paint color will be so much better!” And then asking us to fix things.
I like to think that when I’m a prospective buyer I am a little more sensitive to how the sellers might feel (ha!). I might hate your paint colors and decor but I’m not mean enough to say it within earshot. I guess I am strangely defensive about my house. Maybe it’s because I feel like they’re getting a killer deal to start with and then they want to nickel and dime me? We left this morning after they got started, thank goodness, and at least we don’t have to be present for the closing. I am even more glad that we will be living on post next, at least I will be spared this whole process again for awhile.
Oh, I know! While we were sitting at the closing table for our last house, the buyer says to me, “What were you thinking when you painted the kitchen?” Ummm..what do you say to that? It is just paint. I do not want to have to sell this house. It is so painful. I feel for you.
When we sold our last home (100 year old historic home), the inspector actually picked up a sledge hammer and began to pound away on a block stem wall “to see how solid it is”. He made a big deal that the oven was 8 degrees off in its output and (in front of us) told the buyers that they should ask for a substantial price reduction if they didn’t like the wallpaper in the formal dining room! I felt sorry for the buyers that they had (at their realtor’s insistence) hired the guy and paid him for this “report”! on the other hand, when we bought our new home, the inspector we hired found two potentially serious safety/structural issues (we still bought the home and LOVE it!)