Just as in any type of sales job, a home is never truly bought, or sold, until the money has changed hands and the keys have been given. You may have received an offer on your Wellesley or Metrowest Boston MA home, and are fairly certain that the buyer possesses all the right credentials to allow the sale to go through smoothly, but there are still steps that you need to go through before the sale is final.
One of those critical steps is the....HOME INSPECTION of your Wellesley or Metrowest Boston MA 
home. Now, unless your home is flawless, of which most are not, you will be in for some negotiations with the buyer. The best way to handle these types of negotiations is to have the best Real Estate Team on your side. The Team who would have suggested that you had an inspection of your Wellesley home prior to the home being put on the market so that you could have taken care of these issues on the front end. However, if that wasn't the case here are my suggestions:
First, you need to be realistic and understand that every home is going to have some issue(s) that need to be fixed. So don't get stressed out, get in "fix it" mode and take care of what needs to be done.
As realtors, We hate to see a buyer use the Home Inspection as a means to "renegotiate" the contract. Don't get me wrong, for the most part when a buyer is asking for a negotiation on something it is justified- damage on a roof, plumbing, foundation, etc. A Home Inspection is meant to protect the buyer against "major" problems, not to nitpick and try to get a seller to virtually give you a brand new home. Sellers, you need to rely on your Real Estate Team for advice!
Inspection Credits versus Repairs
After the inspection is completed on your Wellesley or Metrowest Boston MA home, and there are legitimate repairs that need to be completed, try to push for a closing cost credit or a price reduction. This would be the easiest for you, the Seller to do. Besides, you don't want to be in the position of having to do repairs and having the Buyer not satisfied with the repairs that are done and having to redo them or losing the sale!
Negotiating the Home Inspection Problems
Remember, you are not obligated to repair your Wellesley or Metrowest Boston MA home before you sell it, but you MUST be up front and honest with the Buyer. One of the difficulties in going through the inspection process and then losing a buyer is now knowing EXACTLY what was found needing to be 
repaired and disclosing it to another potential buyer. In this case, you must now learn the art of "haggling". Nothing new, but you'll need to look at the list of repairs and decide which you are willing to make and which you aren't, and negotiate it with the buyer in a way that will allow you to spend less money....but NOT LOSE YOUR BUYER!
The bottom line is to be prepared up front. Work with a professional Real Estate Team who knows what needs to be done up front to avoid the pitfalls of the Home Inspection process. Once you've found that Team, put your trust in them and listen & adhere to their advice.
For more tips on Selling and Buying homes in the Wellesley & Metrowest Boston MA area please visit our website at www.teamlynchrealestate.com, or give us a call. We know the Metrowest Boston area well after living and working here for the majority of our lives and can answer all your questions or help you get your home ready to be put on the market.
