How to Keep a Home Sale From Falling Apart

I can’t tell you how many times a deal has looked like it was about to fall apart, like the whole thing was slipping away right in front of you. The key is knowing how to hold it together, and after 26 years, that’s become second nature. Call it the Utah Dave Way.

Here’s where most deals get shaky: the inspection. The buyer gets the report back, they don’t love what they see, and suddenly they’re asking you for $20,000 or more in repairs, or they walk away completely, and you’re back to square one, maybe even losing the next home you already had lined up. So let me walk you through how I keep these together.

1. Remember that inspectors can be wrong. When a report comes back, it tends to say the same handful of things: double-tapped wiring, a loose toilet, items not up to code, and so on. But an inspector isn’t always right.

When something looks serious, I bring in a specialist, and more often than not, that specialist takes one look and explains that it’s a simple fix, or that it’s working exactly as it should. What felt like a deal-breaker turns out to be nothing at all. It’s the same principle I apply when an appraisal comes in low, one opinion isn’t the final word.

2. Don’t do the repairs. Give credit. This is a big one. When you agree to do repairs yourself, you’re opening the door to an ongoing back-and-forth. You fix one thing, something else turns up, and now there’s a whole new argument. Give the buyer a credit instead. That lets them handle the repair their own way, on their own terms, and you never hear about it again. A credit closes the conversation. Repairs keep it open.

3. Hold your extras until you need them. Say you’ve got a fridge, a washer and dryer, or some furniture you weren’t planning to take with you. A lot of folks want to offer that upfront. I don’t. I hold it. I’ve had buyers come back asking for $20,000 in repairs, and instead of writing a check, I offered up the fridge. They took it happily, and it was something my seller was happy to part with anyway.

By waiting until the inspection, my seller didn’t have to give up a single thing extra. Offer it too early, and you’d have to sweeten the pot later. Timing is everything, and it’s the same eye for strategic positioning that decides how much a home ultimately sells for.

Those are just a few of the ways to keep a deal from coming undone. There’s a real strategy to this, and it’s saved my sellers a lot of money and a lot of stress over the years. If you’re thinking about selling and you want someone who knows how to hold a deal together when it counts, reach out. Call or text me at 801-966-4000, email me at dave@utahdave.com, or visit blog.utahdave.com. Let’s talk about how the Utah Dave Way could work for you.