I recently placed a $550k offer on a home priced at $599k on Zillow. The seller eventually agreed to $565k. The house was built in 1950. I am currently under contract until Tuesday. Can I still negotiate after finding issues during the inspections? Things work, but many things in the house are not up to code and seem like they could break soon.

I've done a general inspection of the house as well as an HVAC inspection.

The HVAC system is from 1988. According to both the HVAC and general inspector, it seems many repairs had been done to the HVAC system throughout the years. According to them, after looking at the heating system, they inferred that multiple technicians worked on the HVAC system, and each one did their own hacky fix on it without talking to each other. The HVAC guy felt that the technicians who had worked on the heating system throughout the years were not HVAC technicians. They recommend replacing the entire system for $8.6k, instead of investing $2k on it for minor fixes. They believe if it doesn't break down now, it will break down soon.

After sending the general report to an electrical technician, he gave me a $2k quote to address all the electrical issues. There were many written in the report. One that I recall is that only 2 out of 30 plus outlets are grounded.

Now insulation. The attic has barely any insulation, and according to the general inspector, the HVAC technician, and the insulation inspector who I sent the general report, it's definitely not up to code, and my electricity bill must be huge because of it. The insulation technician gave me a $2k quote.

Plumbing. The gas tank-based water heater is from 2008. It is my understanding, these need to be replaced every 10 years. I have not received a quote to replace the water heater tank yet. The water heater works though.

Based on this inspection, the house will need at least another $12.6k more investment. Can I use these quotes as an argument to keep negotiating the price down? Things work, but inspectors so far recommend replacing things.

Tomorrow, I will have a different electrician and plumber from look at the house's electrical and plumbing system. I am just trying to get a second opinion. Any thoughts y'all?

Austin, Texas

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