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Post by workingclassdog on Oct 17, 2019 20:51:39 GMT
This is just a quick asking for help thread ..
DD and fiance are buying a house. They submitted their first offer and got rejected. They submitted a 2nd offer which was accepted. Basically they are paying what they are asking. Nothing more or less.
That was before the inspection. Now there are 4 things that need to be fixed. The seller agreed to 2 of them (small things of course) and 2 bigger ones. One of them I am not to worried about but the other I am not sure what they should do.
The driveway has a pretty large crack in it. Enough that I am sure DD will trip over at some point. The seller does not want to fix driveway but is willing to take $1,000 off closing costs. I feel like the driveway will be a huge expense. (It's a single car driveway, probably a car and half in length).. so it isn't huge but I have NO idea how much it would cost to replace or fix.
Do they accept the $1,000 off or ask for more. This is what DD is saying in her email to me:
"We told her that we don't think it is fair that the counter offer is only $1,000 for getting the drive way fixed. She was like "what is unreasonable about it?"
DD: "like uh.... its going to cost a lot more than that to fix. "
REALTOR: "I already told you that I will do it myself"
(I have no idea what the realtor is saying.. she will pay to have it fixed?)
"we can't justify asking for more, $1,000 is more than fair"
"it'll cost you less than $1,000"
DD to me: Like she has not been here to help us at all. All she says is "we will do whatever you want" and then we tell her what we want.. and shes like "no"
I just want an opinion.. $1,000 reasonable???
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Post by workingclassdog on Oct 17, 2019 20:53:46 GMT
SORRY I don't know how I duplicated that! |
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Deleted
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Apr 26, 2024 0:20:17 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2019 20:55:23 GMT
$1000 is too low. Concrete is EXPENSIVE. I would get at least three estimates and show the realtor and seller what it will cost to fix the crack.
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samantha25
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Post by samantha25 on Oct 17, 2019 20:59:48 GMT
That seems really low price for driveway replacement. Our neighbor's driveway was redone for $10,000, 1-1.5 car width with about 2.5-3 cars length. Maybe they can mudjack the area for that price.
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Deleted
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Apr 26, 2024 0:20:17 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2019 21:02:08 GMT
I think it depends on what the cause of the crack is. If it's minor crack from weather changes, $1,000 might cover it. They could maybe go in, cut the offending portion out build up with soil or stone and repour. Concrete is cheap. If it's due to the start of a sinkhole, a pipe running underneath that has had leakage, major settlement issues or some other disaster, repairing the concrete won't do much anyways. The crack will reappear unless the underlying cause is repaired.
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Post by bianca42 on Oct 17, 2019 21:10:00 GMT
I had my asphalt driveway completely dug out and replaced last year. Mine is 2 cars wide and 4 cars long and it cost $3800 the first year and $1600 this year.
However, I don't think it's reasonable that they credit you the cost of a whole new driveway...just a repair to it. They didn't make an offer on a house with a brand new driveway.
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Post by auntkelly on Oct 17, 2019 21:11:03 GMT
There is no way to know whether $1,000 is reasonable until you get a written estimate of what it will cost to fix the crack. I would want to know why it cracked in the first place. (Is it ordinary wear and tear or is there a root growing underneath that will cause it to crack again).
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Post by workingclassdog on Oct 17, 2019 21:26:11 GMT
I had my asphalt driveway completely dug out and replaced last year. Mine is 2 cars wide and 4 cars long and it cost $3800 the first year and $1600 this year. However, I don't think it's reasonable that they credit you the cost of a whole new driveway...just a repair to it. They didn't make an offer on a house with a brand new driveway. No they are not expecting them to replace the entire driveway. It's understandable that there is wear and tear.. but the part that is a problem is sizable. They just want to know if that is a reasonable amount, $1,000. |
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caangel
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Post by caangel on Oct 17, 2019 21:30:44 GMT
I'd get a quote from a trades person. Concrete vs asphalt will make a difference.
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breetheflea
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Post by breetheflea on Oct 17, 2019 21:33:17 GMT
A new driveway here (three cars wide, sort of, a portion is strips and gravel not all paved) is supposedly $5000. That's what I've heard anyway...
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Post by norcalscrapper on Oct 17, 2019 21:46:06 GMT
I’m not sure about what is a reasonable amount of money, but one cheaper temporary option would be to grind down the crack so it’s not sticking up so much. That should reduce the tripping hazard until they are ready to explore replacement.
We have tree roots under our driveway that are causing cracks. I would hate to replace it just to have the tree mess it up again.
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Post by workingclassdog on Oct 17, 2019 21:51:33 GMT
Thank you for all your input!! Definitely some good ideas that I would have never thought about. I am passing the information to her!1
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dantemia
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Jun 27, 2014 19:28:17 GMT
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Post by dantemia on Oct 17, 2019 21:55:32 GMT
I remember my brother having an issue with his house and the driveway was cracked and the insurance company didn't want to insure him until it was fixed...not sure if this will be an issue for your DD
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Post by elaine on Oct 17, 2019 22:04:16 GMT
Do they really want the house? Are they willing to walk if they don’t get more than $1K off for the driveway? It really boils down to those questions.
They can insist on asking for more towards the fix, against the realtor’s advice, but then they need to have thought out what they will do if the counter-offer/demand is rejected.
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rickmer
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Post by rickmer on Oct 17, 2019 22:31:32 GMT
i would also take some photos and send them to two companies and get quotes. if it's a more expensive fix and they want the house, they can negotiate from there.
$1000 is just a number pulled out of someone's butt by the sound of it.
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Post by workingclassdog on Oct 18, 2019 0:22:14 GMT
The housing market here just sucks and it’s hard to find anything decent in their price range. You would think $269 or so would get you a nice place... there are a ton of dumps in this range. So finding this one was luck. I think they are going with accepting the $1,000 and deal with it and figure it out. I don’t think they are not going to risk losing it
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Post by bc2ca on Oct 18, 2019 1:05:14 GMT
The list price was based on having a visible crack in the driveway and they made the offer knowing about it. IME, it is only when an inspection uncovers a hidden problem that any adjustments are made (either the deficiency fixed or money offered).
For example, we bought a house that was listed with only one garage door that opened. The inspection noted the broken door, but it wasn't a surprise and we didn't expect it to be fixed or an adjustment made. We made our offer knowing it didn't work. We did expect and received cash to replace the leaking hot water tank.
I think the $1000 is reasonable.
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Deleted
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Apr 26, 2024 0:20:17 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2019 2:27:40 GMT
The housing market here just sucks and it’s hard to find anything decent in their price range. You would think $269 or so would get you a nice place... there are a ton of dumps in this range. Sounds like a seller's market. I guess they should ask themselves, would they be able to find a similar house with a perfect driveway for $4000 (assuming repairs were $5000) more? |
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Gennifer
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Post by Gennifer on Oct 18, 2019 7:03:57 GMT
The list price was based on having a visible crack in the driveway and they made the offer knowing about it. IME, it is only when an inspection uncovers a hidden problem that any adjustments are made (either the deficiency fixed or money offered). For example, we bought a house that was listed with only one garage door that opened. The inspection noted the broken door, but it wasn't a surprise and we didn't expect it to be fixed or an adjustment made. We made our offer knowing it didn't work. We did expect and received cash to replace the leaking hot water tank. I think the $1000 is reasonable. I agree with this. |
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Post by malibou on Oct 18, 2019 9:37:37 GMT
I would need to know why such a large crack has formed in the driveway before I can answer. Unforseen conditions can be a nightmare.
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Post by lily on Oct 18, 2019 13:03:55 GMT
They are probably figuring the $1000 on just pumping concrete under the piece that is lower to bring it up more even with the other piece. My dad had this done on his driveway and it worked very well.
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Post by Monica* on Oct 18, 2019 13:12:28 GMT
The list price was based on having a visible crack in the driveway and they made the offer knowing about it. IME, it is only when an inspection uncovers a hidden problem that any adjustments are made (either the deficiency fixed or money offered). For example, we bought a house that was listed with only one garage door that opened. The inspection noted the broken door, but it wasn't a surprise and we didn't expect it to be fixed or an adjustment made. We made our offer knowing it didn't work. We did expect and received cash to replace the leaking hot water tank. I think the $1000 is reasonable. I agree with this. Completely agree. This was not a hidden item or one that was uncovered only through inspection. I think they are lucky to get the $1,000 personally. Especially in a competitive market. |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Oct 18, 2019 13:50:13 GMT
I'd get a quote from a trades person. Concrete vs asphalt will make a difference. I agree with this. In our area concrete is NOT cheap. At our old house, we moved the driveway from one side of the house to the other when we added a new garage. We had gravel/class 5 for several years because we couldn’t afford to pave it. While it isn’t a small area (probably enough space to park 4-5 cars before it slopes) we ended up going with asphalt because it was so much cheaper and even doing it that way set us back about $11K. Concrete would have probably been 50-75% more. I think they should get some bids to see what the repair costs will actually be and then go from there. Now that the house has been inspected if there is a known issue with the underlying problem RE: the driveway that will now have to be disclosed for any other buyers going forward so it’s possible the sellers may want to reconsider once there are repair estimates in hand. Would it be possible to cut out and just fix that one cracked section, if the rest of the driveway is in good shape? |
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maryannscraps
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Post by maryannscraps on Oct 18, 2019 13:57:15 GMT
Your daughter can ask for more, but the seller is under no obligation to give it. Houses aren't perfect, and it's all a negotiation.
Honestly, I think she's lucky to get a $1000 reduction.
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Post by workingclassdog on Oct 18, 2019 14:06:34 GMT
The $1,000 was for a couple of things including the driveway. They are going to accept it and move on. Their realtor is going to help with the fix as well. So hopefully there isn't more of an underlying issue but it is probably still better than trying to find something else in that price range. Even if they had to put in $5,000 for a fix. There is just a small limited amount of housing in their range.
Thanks for all the advice!! Closing is in a few weeks!!
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CeeScraps
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Post by CeeScraps on Oct 18, 2019 22:20:22 GMT
Have her meet with someone at the property to get an estimate or even estimates. She could set them up 15 minutes apart to do them all in 1 day.
If it's concrete that's expensive. If it's blacktop it's still expensive.
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peaname
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Post by peaname on Oct 18, 2019 23:40:46 GMT
The realtor helping to repair the driveway has me concerned. The seller will contract with your DD for the money or repair but what recourse will she have with the realtor? Is she a contractor or handyman as well or is she just trying to sell a house? Very odd. Your DD should get a professional to give her a quote on the repair.
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