Some sales are easier than others. Often, when an escrow becomes difficult, it’s because one of the parties creates unnecessary friction. We listed this Seven Hills Trust property on February 23rd, and it recently closed. We received three offers and ultimately closed escrow at $15,000 over the asking price.
Seven Hills Trust Sale Closed
As in many cases, my clients chose to complete a pre-inspection along with a termite inspection before going on the market. This approach allows us to identify and address potential issues early. We then disclose all reports to the buyer, which usually helps prevent renegotiations after the buyer conducts their own inspections. However, this transaction took a different turn. The buyers hired a “Certified Master Inspector,” a designation that, according to the organisation’s website, can be obtained after completing 1,000 inspections within three years and passing a background check. In my view, this is a relatively low threshold and feels more like a paid designation than a meaningful credential. More reputable and known designations include CREIA, NACHI and AHIT
Their inspector completed his report and included repair estimates that appeared significantly inflated. As a result, the buyers requested over $40,000 in credits, largely for items that had already been disclosed upfront. To verify the claims, I forwarded their report to the original inspector who had evaluated the Seven Hills property. He responded in writing, confirming that the estimates were indeed excessive.
Additionally, the buyer’s agent submitted an inflated estimate for a sewer repair. I immediately shared the report with my trusted plumber, and he confirmed that the pricing was excessive.
Afterwards, I reviewed all the information and pushed back with clear supporting documentation. As a result, the trustee agreed to a $5,000 credit. Although the process required extra diligence and negotiation, we kept the transaction together and successfully closed escrow. Since we had not conducted a sewer inspection upfront, the trustee recognised this as new information for the buyer, which justified the credit, still far less than the $13,000 the buyer originally requested.
