Quick and Easy Estimates

Home inspections are often a major bone of contention between buyers and sellers. Buyers tend to demand that sellers fix every little thing that their examiners find wrong with the house, and sellers sometimes hold firm that they won’t mend items that they believe amount to nothing less than nitpicking. Worse, though, buyers tend to ascribe the cost to repair everything the inspector discovers at two or even three times what it really might set them back. So, they prune their offers by that amount. That leaves sellers stuck having to decide whether to accept a lowball offer or bite the bullet. Let more hard bargaining ensue.

But now there are several ways both sides can obtain accurate repair estimates quickly. If you are familiar with inspection reports, you know they can be lengthy and detailed — and therefore difficult to decipher. They also offer little, if any, insight into what it might cost to repair what the inspector says needs to be fixed. These companies provide options, which do not guarantee pricing because “there are too many variables and potential underlying issues” of which it may not be aware — RepairPricer, Punchlist and HouseMaster. Estimates are not contracts and are subject to change based upon actual conditions.

Source: Lew Sichelman, uexpress