Trying To Buy Foreclosure

Q: My wife and I have made two offers on a foreclosure to buy it as-is. The listing agent handling the sale says that the seller wants to make repairs before selling. The home is owned by FHLMC and being sold through their Homesteps program. Estimates to repair are a minimum of $30k. We have offered them $25k less than their "after-repair" price to buy the house as-is. This could save the seller at least 5K and all of the inconveniences/delays/expenses of repairing it. I've been told by a number of people that the last thing Freddie Mac wants to do is repair homes and that they would give their best as-is cash price. Any thoughts as to why they are insisting on repairing this home before selling it?

A: It might depend on the type of repairs needed and the possible legal ramifications of selling it before those repairs are done. Are any of these repairs something that could be considered a hazard to a novice repairperson or owner? .

Discuss It!

Marketplace