We put an offer on the house which has a pool. The offer was accepted. Home inspection was done and the seller agreed to fix few basic things. Septic inspection failed and the seller agreed to fix that. The pool inspection was done and that turned out to be a disaster. The pool was in a bad shape. None of the pool equipments work. The pool is delaminating and needs a renovation. The fencing around the house also needs major repairs. The cost estimate is upwards of 70K. The seller is not responding to our request to get the pool fixed. Its been more than 2 weeks. I have already paid the Ernest money which is 5% of the home cost. Can we force the seller to respond and pull the offer if they do not respond or keep delaying? What is the time line for them to respond?
Severna Park, MD · Member since 2013 · 7k+ posts · 7k+ votes
3y
Well I would have to say that the pool delaminating and needs a renovation were visually obvious when you looked at the house . The same with the fence . You are not buying a brand new home . You need to refer to your contract . The main component of the pool equipment is the pump , they are not that expensive . And naturally if it doesnt work you cant check anything else . Could be as simple as turning on a breaker .
As a seller if I didnt refinish the pool while I was living there , I certainly wouldnt drop $70 K to refinish it to sell the house
Real Estate Agent · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2018 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
3y
Obviously we don't know every detail of the transaction but on the surface taking an aggressive approach probably won't get what you want based on what you said.
Typically you have one shot for the request for repairs. You did it the first round and the Seller complied. Now you are coming back for a second round. If I were the Seller I would tell you to pound sand because who's to say there are more request coming down the line.
I would go back and state that if the Seller does "X" then I will release all contingencies and guarantee closing. The Seller needs to see a path to closing.