I’m going to tell you a little secret: Negotiating inspection items can be a bit tricky.

Shows like Million Dollar Listing have not helped either. I cannot tell you how many times the agent on TV says, “We will just get the seller at inspection”. Yeah, it doesn’t work that way. The purpose of the inspection is to reveal items that cannot be seen with the naked eye or issues that only a thorough home inspection would find. In other words, the giant carpet stain you saw during the showing is not something that should end up on your list of inspection requests. For the best results stick to health and safety issues.

And remember, it doesn’t hurt to ask for the things that are important to you. The seller cannot “ditch” you because you sent over a list of inspection requests. All they can do is say no. If you have kept your list to major items that “any reasonable buyer” would find objectionable the seller is probably going to agree with you. One of my biggest roles in a real estate transaction is helping you through this process whether you are the buyer or the seller.