A local investor group bought a home in Ocotillo Lakes, fixed it up, and hired me to sell it. It went under contract at $800,000 on June 23, 2026, with a conventional buyer working with a luxury brokerage. Then the inspection came back. The buyer asked for 26 items, including a brand new roof and a new electric panel. The sale closed on July 15, 22 days after contract, without either one. Here is how.
Why does it matter that the sellers were investors?
This was a flip, not a family home. That changes the conversation. An investor reads a repair request like a line on a spreadsheet. Every dollar spent on repairs comes out of the profit, and every extra week costs holding money. My job was to keep the buyer in the deal without giving away more than the house actually needed.
What does a buyer at $800,000 expect from a flip?
A finished home. Fresh paint and new finishes do not hide older systems from an inspector, and a buyer at this price reads every page of the report. This buyer's list covered the roof, the electric panel, breakers, kitchen outlets, both AC units, windows that did not open right, a failed window seal, the dishwasher, the garbage disposal, a dryer vent blowing lint into the attic, the pool skimmer, the pool drain cover, the in-floor pool cleaning system, a pool gate that did not close on its own, and a truss repair in the attic.
How do you answer a request for a new roof?
With paper. The sellers had already paid a roofer to work on the roof, and the roofer's invoice said the roof appeared to be in good condition. I sent that invoice with our response. When a buyer asks for a new roof, the real question is "is this roof going to cost me money?" A licensed roofer's written answer settles that faster than any argument I could make.
The electric panel worked the same way. Instead of a new panel, the sellers had a licensed electrician service the existing one and secure it properly to the house.
What did the sellers agree to fix?
Almost everything else, all by licensed contractors where the law requires it. Service on both AC units, insulation on the refrigerant line, and a sealed air handler. Window repairs and the failed seal. Five mismatched breakers, new breakers at the pool panel, and proper GFCI outlets in the kitchen. The disposal, the dishwasher spring under the manufacturer's warranty, the dryer vent, a disconnected flue vent, and closet door guides. A pool skimmer repair, a safe drain cover, a new gearbox for the in-floor cleaning system, and a self-closing pool gate. A hydro-jetted sewer line too.
Two items got a different answer. One breaker the inspector flagged was off on purpose. It fed an electric range circuit in a kitchen that cooks on gas, so we said so instead of fixing something that was not broken. The truss repair got a $500 credit instead of a structural engineer's visit.
Why did the inspection only cost $500 in credit?
Because the money talk was already done. The contract included a 2% seller concession toward the buyer's costs, settled when we agreed on price. So at inspection, the sellers fixed real problems, proved the big-ticket items were sound, and added $500 at closing. No price cut.
What made the last week hard?
Receipts. When a seller agrees to repairs, the buyer wants proof, and every licensed contractor needs to send an invoice. The final walk-through also turned up a dining room window that still did not work right. Chasing invoices from several contractors at once is the part nobody plans for. If you are selling a flip, ask every contractor for an invoice the day they finish.
What would I tell an investor selling a flip in Ocotillo?
Inspect before the buyer does. Get a roof report and service the AC before you list, because a buyer at this price will inspect everything. Keep every invoice from the rehab in one folder so you can answer a repair request with paper the same day. And decide early which items you will fix and which you will credit. A credit keeps you out of the repair business. You can see how I run the whole process on my page about how your home gets sold.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to replace the roof if the buyer asks?
No. A repair request is a request, not an order. If a licensed roofer says the roof is in good condition, put that in writing and send it with your response. Most buyers want proof, not a new roof.
Should an investor do repairs or give a credit?
I usually recommend a credit. You skip the contractors, you skip paying out of pocket, and you skip chasing receipts before closing. On this sale the sellers chose to do the work, and it closed on time, but the receipts made the last week harder than it needed to be.
What is a seller concession?
Money the seller agrees to put toward the buyer's closing costs, written into the contract. On this sale it was 2% of the price. Settling it up front meant the inspection was about the house, not about the price.
Ben Graham, REALTOR since 2011, serving Chandler, South Tempe, and South Chandler. More than 500 homes sold, including investor-owned homes in Ocotillo. Want to see how other sellers handled it? Read more closing stories.
