Montgomery County Home Inspection Negotiation Guide
Buyer Lens
Not everything on an inspection report is a negotiation item. Sort findings into three buckets: safety and structural (electrical panels, roof leaks, foundation cracks, mold, radon), systems nearing end of life (HVAC, water heater, roof age), and cosmetic or maintenance items (caulking, minor drywall, dated fixtures). Push hard on the first bucket, negotiate the second, and let the third go. In Montgomery County specifically, watch for older housing stock in neighborhoods like Kentlands, Kensington, and Silver Spring where knob-and-tube wiring, aging cast iron plumbing, and unpermitted additions show up more often than buyers expect. If a repair was done without a permit, that's a real negotiation point, not just a curiosity.
Seller Lens
The best negotiation is the one you avoid by not creating a surprise. If your home has known issues, get ahead of them with a pre-listing inspection or at minimum disclose accurately on the Maryland disclosure/disclaimer form. Buyers in this market pull permit history and comps before they ever walk in, so an unpermitted basement or deck addition will get flagged and it will get negotiated. Decide before you list which categories of repair you'll fix versus credit versus hold firm on, so you're not making that call under pressure with an offer on the table and a clock running.
Local Context
Montgomery County has a lot of homes built well before current code, plus a heavy mix of condos and HOA communities where inspection issues can tangle with association responsibility (roofs, siding, common-area plumbing). Before you negotiate anything structural, pull the county permit history for the property. If a renovation, addition, or system replacement was never permitted, that changes the conversation and can be leverage for either side depending on who's asking. Competitive listings in tight markets can also limit how hard a buyer can push, so read the market temperature before you draft a repair request.
Talk with Kevin Grolig
Got an inspection report in hand and not sure what's worth fighting for? Or listing soon and want to know what's going to come up before a buyer's inspector finds it? I work Montgomery County full-time, including Gaithersburg and Kentlands. Use the contact page and let's go through it.
10 Home Inspection Tips Every Montgomery County Seller Needs
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