Writing A Repair Addendum

November 18, 2019 Shelley Zavitz

**I am not an attorney and do not practice law. I have not taken or passed the law bar so please consult the appropriate person when seeking legal advice.**

One of the first-class, 100% bone-headed mistakes that I have ever made as a real estate agent was surrounding writing a repair addendum. I had successfully closed a couple dozen transactions and was feeling more and more like I wasn’t a total imposter in the real estate industry.

There was a skip in my step as I was able to easily navigate questions about the contract, obtain bids from contractors, and describe the role of escrow in one sentence or less.

Well, it WAS a skip, until I tripped on the proverbial curb edge of my path to success and smashed my teeth in.

The repair addendum. Not every market has them. In my market, they are an integral part of negotiation proceedings after an offer is accepted.

I had written an addendum surrounding exterior siding. It had all the key phrases and sentence transitions such as “wherein,” “therefore,” “shall not,” etc. What was missing were specifics. For instance, which exact part of the siding I was asking to be remedied, when it should be remedied, and how.

Here are some tips when writing a repair addendum.

Be as clear as possible about what the issue is and how you want it remedied.
Outline who should do the work (even if it’s in the boiler plate language, it doesn’t hurt to reiterate it).
Have a deadline for when the work is to be done.
Have it re-inspected by a professional home inspector. It’s worth the money.

I had some money seep from my commission during this transaction because I failed to be clear. They fixed the siding on the wrong side of the house. ::smh:: It wasn’t the buyer’s fault I wrote it poorly. It wasn’t the seller’s fault. They though they did it right. It was mine, and mine to fix.

I’d love to hear what you think about writing addendums. Is there a practice you have in place so that you don’t fall into the same trap I fell in? What did you learn? Leave me a comment below.

Until then, chin up, keep your feet moving … and burn the white flag.

Learn more about building your business from the ground up. Join NA365 Missions. 12 expert trainers teach you what you need to know to create a solid foundation. 12 weeks, 12 missions to complete. $100 entry fee. Sign up at www.newagent365.com.