Closing Cost Negotiation Question

[Simon T.]

Hi,

I am a new comer to the forum and am a first time home buyer. I am looking for some advice on buying a unit that I currently rent from a landowner. It gets tricky since I am doing this without a real estate agent, so Im asking the pros here. My question is how do I go about negotiating with the seller on the cost of repairs and closing costs.

I am thinking about asking the landowner to repair my unit (below 1K in cost) before closing and sharing half of the closing costs with him. I came to the realization that closing costs (about 6-7K in cost) aren't cheap, and it will be hard to negotiate on who covers what if cost items are broken down. In the end, it all boils down to dollars. I am hoping this will work since the seller will save a good chunk of commission costs from not using an agent. Currently, it is a seller's market, so Im not sure how much leverage I have. Is this the right approach to take or is it even feasible to do this? Or am I asking too little? I am hoping to negotiate this matter with the landowner before both of us meet a real estate attorney.