How would you negotiate this?

[Adam Levy]

Hi all,

I'm scheduled to close in Nov on a 2-family.  The inspection revealed some legitimate concerns about the foundation of the house.  I was aware some of the stone and brick needed re-pointing when I put in my offer, but the inspector found some deteriorating wood beams that are of real concern.  He also suspects some of the underground plumbing may be deteriorating but couldn't be sure.  

A key detail here is that I was already willing to accept some pretty thin margins in the short run because 1. Good location and 2. I plan to refinance as soon as rates get better anyways.  I had planned on some cosmetic improvements but I'm worried that these additional discoveries may lead to me actually losing money for a while. 

The house had a number of offers, I didn't win by much.  It wouldn't be hard for them to move on to the next offer if I overplay my hand here.  That said, I legitimately think the inspection was worse than anyone anticipated.  So ... how do I negotiate this?  My agent seems to want me to just go with it but I don't think I'm being unreasonable.  Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.  

[Ashley Evans]

Quote from @Adam Levy:

Thanks Mike.  I'm hoping for advice regarding re-negotiating the agreement, making it the best deal I can.  I'm willing to have the repairs done but think some $ should come out of the other side's end.  

Hey Adam.

Get a foundation repair company to quote the work. I'd get 2-3 quotes depending on how much time you have left to negotiate. I would NOT skip this. If you need more time to get those numbers, then your agent can write up an amendment to request more time. 

Once you have those quotes in hand, does the cost of those repairs fall into your repair budget? If not, have your agent present the repair estimate and 
1. request a credit in lieu of repairs or
2. ask the sellers to drop the price

Truthfully, you don't really know how much you outbid the others because you haven't reviewed the other offers. Either way, don't focus on the other offers that the sellers can fall back on. Focus on whether the deal still works for YOU given what you know.