Don't let a $200 fix cost you a $20,000 negotiation.
The buyer's inspector will find the small stuff. Catch it first — on your timeline, with your own contractor — and you protect your price and your leverage. Grab the free Pre-Listing Deal-Killer Checklist.
The Deal-Killer Checklist
- The issues that quietly tank inspections
- What's cheap now vs. costly under contract
- Room-by-room, print-and-walk format
- What to fix, what to disclose, what to skip
The same repair costs you two very different amounts.
Once you're under contract, every defect the inspector flags becomes the buyer's leverage — a price cut, a repair credit at retail rates, or a buyer who walks. Handle it before you list and it's just a to-do.
Your terms.
Your contractor, your timeline, your budget. A $150 caulk-and-paint job stays a $150 job — and the home shows like it's been cared for.
Their leverage.
The buyer assumes the worst, asks for retail repair credits, and may renegotiate the whole price — or walk, sending you back to market looking "stale."
The usual deal-killers — walk your home with these.
The full printable goes room by room. Here are the categories that derail the most Northwest Houston sales:
- Roof: missing/curling shingles, soft spots, age, prior leak stains in the attic.
- HVAC: serviced recently? Age, weak airflow, dirty condenser — Texas buyers test this hard.
- Water heater: age, corrosion, drip pan & discharge line, signs of past leaking.
- Plumbing: under-sink leaks, running toilets, low pressure, water stains on ceilings.
- Foundation signs: stair-step cracks, sticking doors/windows, sloping floors (common in Houston clay soil).
- Drainage: grading toward the house, clogged gutters, standing water near the slab.
- Moisture/mold: bathroom caulk, under sinks, attic ventilation, that "musty" smell.
- Electrical & safety: GFCI outlets near water, panel condition, exposed wiring, working smoke & CO detectors.
- Wood rot & exterior: fascia, trim, deck boards, window seals (foggy double-panes).
- Pests/WDI: termite tubes, prior treatment records — a Texas inspection staple.
- Cosmetics that read as neglect: chipped paint, dated caulk, dripping faucets, loose fixtures.
- Disclosure items: known past repairs, insurance claims, anything you'd want to know as a buyer.
"I've watched clean deals fall apart over a $300 repair the seller never saw coming. Walk your home like a buyer's inspector first — it's the cheapest money you'll ever make."
— ALFRED CASTILLO · Metro Realty Partners, brokered by eXp Realty
Where should I send the Deal-Killer Checklist?
Tell me where to send it and I'll get you the printable 2-page checklist — plus, if you'd like, a quick read on what's worth fixing for your home and market.
It's yours — download below.
I've also sent a copy to your email. Questions on any item? Just reply or call — happy to walk your specific home.
⬇ Download the checklist (PDF)