is it normal for a seller to wait till the deadline to respond to repairs

Junia, Short answer: Their response doesn't take up your time to respond. The delay in the owner's response may be because they're confirming the costs for each repair. Have your agent reach out to the other agent to check on the seller's progress. I believe in a collaborative, not adversarial, approach to a transaction. Feel free to call or text with any other questions. Jerry McManus Keller Williams, Sewell, NJ

Junia, sellers using every last hour of their deadline is so common that I'd almost plan on it. Getting quotes takes time, and some agents just hold responses back as a habit. Whether that squeezes you depends on one thing: does your review window run from a fixed calendar date, or does it start when their response actually reaches you? Those are two different contracts, and your agent can tell you which one you signed in about five minutes. Ask today instead of on the last evening. Illinois deals also usually have an attorney in the mix, and since this is your first time through, it's worth asking them now what happens if the seller never responds at all, because silence has its own consequences. If the reply lands late and you feel rushed, a short extension in writing is a routine ask. I'm licensed in California, so your Rockford team has the final word. Alla Novytska, Realtor®, JohnHart Real Estate, DRE #02254775

Yes, it's normal - sellers regularly use the full window - and yes, it can compress your time. But whether it automatically eats into your review period depends entirely on how your contract is written, and that's a five-minute question with a definite answer. Have your agent read you the exact dates today. Contracts are structured two different ways. In some, your decision period is a fixed calendar date regardless of when the seller responds, which means a last-minute response genuinely does squeeze you. In others, your period runs from their response, which means their delay doesn't cost you anything. You need to know which one you signed, and you shouldn't be finding out on the final afternoon. Why sellers wait, since it's worth not taking personally: sometimes it's strategy, sometimes they're waiting on contractor quotes so they can answer you sensibly, and sometimes they're seeing whether a backup offer appears. It isn't necessarily bad faith, and treating it as an insult tends to make the negotiation worse. What to do right now, in order of usefulness. 1. Ask in writing for an earlier response, and say why - our objection deadline is coming and we'd like time to evaluate your response properly. Reasonable, and it often works simply because nobody asked. 2. If the structure means their delay compresses you, request a short written extension of your own deadline now, while there's still room. Sellers grant these routinely when asked early and resist them when asked at the eleventh hour. This is the single most useful thing in this answer. 3. Decide your position in advance. Work out now what you'd accept, what you'd walk away over, and what a credit instead of repairs would be worth to you. If you've done that thinking, a response arriving on the last day takes an hour to evaluate rather than three days. 4. Keep everything else moving. Don't pause your loan, your appraisal, or anything else while you wait. Delay on one track shouldn't create delay on another. The underlying point, and the actual risk here: deadlines in real estate contracts are hard dates, and missing yours because you were waiting on someone else is the failure mode. That's entirely within your control to prevent, and everything above is how you prevent it. A buyer who lets their own objection window lapse usually loses the right to object at all. I'm a real estate broker, not an attorney, and I'm licensed in Alabama rather than Illinois, where the standard forms and their deadline structures differ. Your agent can read you the specific dates in your contract, and that's the conversation to have today rather than next week. Dustin Woodley, Camelot Properties, LLC - serving Montgomery, Prattville, Millbrook, Wetumpka, Pike Road, Auburn, Opelika, Lake Martin and the Tri County River Region area.

Yes, a seller can sometimes wait until the last day of their response period. The important thing is that your deadlines don't automatically move just because the seller used all of theirs. Whether you get additional time depends entirely on the language of your purchase agreement and repair addendum. Some contracts establish separate deadlines for the seller's response and the buyer's subsequent decision, while others can create a situation where the buyer has very little time to react. That's why I would not wait until the seller responds to figure this out. Have your agent calculate every applicable deadline on the calendar now, including when the seller must respond and when your inspection/repair contingency expires. If the seller responds at the last minute and you need additional time to review the response, your agent can ask the seller for a written extension. But the seller generally doesn't have to agree unless the contract gives you that right. Also, don't assume that silence from the seller means the repairs are automatically accepted or rejected. The contract and addendum determine what happens if the deadline passes without a response. If you're unsure, I'd ask your agent today: "If the seller responds on the final day, exactly how much time do I have to review and make my decision?" That's a very reasonable question, especially if this is your first transaction. Juan Picos Real Estate Agent JohnHart Real Estate

Yes, it can be normal for a seller to wait until the deadline to respond to a repair request. The important thing is that the response is delivered within the timeframe specified in your contract or repair addendum. Whether their late response reduces your time to review it depends on the exact language of your agreement. In some contracts, your response period starts when you receive the seller's response, while in others there may be a specific deadline that doesn't automatically extend just because the seller waited. I wouldn't assume that the seller waiting until the last day automatically gives you additional time—or automatically takes away your full review period. Your agent should look at the specific dates and language in the contract and confirm exactly when your deadline begins and ends. If the seller responds at the last minute, review it promptly and communicate with your agent immediately. If you need additional time to evaluate repairs or negotiate, an extension may be possible if both parties agree in writing. Real estate contracts vary significantly by state and by the specific form being used, so the exact wording of your repair addendum is what matters most. Juan Picos Real Estate Agent

Normal no, but within reason. There could be many reasons it is taking this long. They could have been getting quotes, discussing their decision, have a family emergency, etc. Keith Jean-Pierre Managing Principal The Dapper Agents Real Estate Operations in ALL 50 States

Junia, yes, waiting until the deadline is completely normal. But the detail that decides whether it costs you time is not when the seller responds. It is how your contract defines delivery, because in most contracts a response counts as received the moment it is sent by an approved method, not when you actually sit down and read it. Jonathan and Brenda both gave you the right framework, and Brenda is correct that in Illinois this is a question for your attorney, so I will just add the mechanics that tend to get missed. Look at the notice or delivery provision in your contract, not the inspection provision. It will list what counts as valid delivery, usually something like email, fax, or personal delivery, and it will say when delivery is deemed complete. If it is deemed complete on transmission, then a seller response emailed at eight in the evening on the last day starts your clock at eight in the evening. That is where buyers quietly lose most of a day, and it is entirely avoidable if you know it is coming. While you are waiting, have your agent confirm in writing with the listing agent exactly which email addresses count as valid delivery for both sides. Ambiguity on that point is what turns a normal negotiation into a dispute later, and it costs nothing to nail down now. Second thing to ask your attorney today rather than on the deadline: what happens if the seller does not respond at all. Do not assume silence works in your favor. Depending on the contract, no response can operate as a rejection, or as acceptance, or as nothing at all, and each of those puts you in a completely different position on your earnest money. You want that answer in hand before the clock runs out, not while it is running. One practical habit for the next round, and for anyone reading this later. Put a response deadline inside the repair request itself, set earlier than the contract deadline. It is not binding on its own, but sellers respond to a stated date far more often than to an open ended one, and it gives your agent a natural reason to follow up without it reading as pressure. I am a real estate professional, not an attorney, and Illinois is a state where your attorney genuinely runs this part of the deal, so take the delivery question to them directly. Rockford is outside the Los Angeles area where I work, so I am not the right person to read your specific contract. If you would like an introduction to a Rockford agent, tell me and Zoltan Peresztegi will connect you with someone who knows those forms cold. Zoltan

Yes, it is common. Sellers often use their full response window, especially if they are gathering contractor bids or deciding what they will agree to fix, credit, or refuse. Your review time usually does not get eaten just because they wait until the last day. In most contracts, the seller has a set number of days to reply, and then you have your own window that starts when you receive their response (or on the dates written in your addendum). So a last-day reply is annoying, but it should not automatically shrink your chance to read it and decide. What to do now: ask your agent for the exact calendar dates for (1) the sellers reply deadline and (2) your response deadline after that. Put both on your phone. If their reply lands late in the day, you still work from your contractual clock, not from vibes.

Usually in my state, they don't. They may have to use some time to get quotes, but usually they respond timely. If they just plain don't respond at all to a proposed amendment, then the buyer has the option to send a notice. Ask your agent for advice; that's what they're there for.

Yes, it is completely normal for sellers to wait until the absolute last minute to respond, often using that time to gather contractor quotes, figure out repair costs, or deliberate with their agent. The good news is that their waiting does not eat into your personal review time—under standard real estate contracts, your response window (typically 2 to 3 days) only begins after you or your agent officially receive the seller's signed counter-response. If their last-minute reply includes complicated counter-offers like partial credits instead of repairs, your agent can easily submit a short Extension of Time Addendum to give you a few extra days to consult contractors or evaluate their offer without risking your contingency status or deposit.

Junia, yes, it's normal for a seller to use the full amount of time allowed under the contract before responding to a repair request. They may be getting estimates, discussing the repairs, or deciding what they are willing to negotiate. The important question is how your specific contract defines your deadline after the seller responds. In some contracts, the buyer gets a certain number of days after receiving the seller's response. In others, there may be a fixed deadline that does not automatically move just because the seller waited until the last day. Because Illinois purchase contracts and attorney-review provisions can be deadline-sensitive, ask your agent and real estate attorney to confirm exactly when your response period expires. If the seller's late response would leave you with very little time, your attorney should request an extension before the deadline passes. The Illinois State Bar Association specifically recommends having an attorney monitor inspection and contract deadlines during the transaction. Brenda Ashby | REALTOR® | JohnHart Real Estate | DRE License # 01700249