After the Home Inspection: How to Ask for Repairs, Credits, or a Price Reduction
The inspection report arrives, and it's 40 pages long. Almost every home, including new construction, generates a long list of findings. The goal now isn't to fix everything. It's to decide what actually matters, and then choose the right way to handle it before your inspection window or due diligence period ends.
How this works depends on your contract. Some contracts have an inspection contingency with a set period to request repairs or cancel. Others, like North Carolina's standard form, use a due diligence period in which the buyer can negotiate or terminate. Deadlines are strict either way, so know yours before the inspection is even scheduled.
Sort the report into three piles
A home inspection is a visual, non-invasive look at a home's condition. Our guide to what a home inspection can and can't tell you explains its limits. Once you have the report, sort the findings:
- Safety issues. Examples include electrical hazards, gas leaks, missing or faulty smoke and CO alarms, venting problems and structural concerns.
- Major systems and water. Roof, foundation, HVAC, plumbing, electrical panels, and any active leaks or moisture intrusion. These are the expensive items, and water is behind many of the costliest problems.
- Maintenance and cosmetic items. Loose handrails, worn caulk, dripping faucets, missing outlet covers. These are real, but they're normal parts of owning a home.
Most negotiations should focus on the first two piles. A long list of small items can weaken your credibility with the seller and cost goodwill you may need later.
Get estimates and second opinions
An inspector may recommend further evaluation by a specialist, such as a structural engineer, roofer, HVAC technician, electrician or sewer-line camera inspection. If time allows, get those evaluations and written estimates during your inspection window. A specific estimate from a licensed contractor carries more weight than "the inspector said the roof looks old," and it tells you what the problem will actually cost.
Your options: repair, credit, price or walk away
Ask the seller to make repairs. This works well for safety items and things that must be fixed before closing. Ask that work be done by licensed professionals where required, with permits where needed, and that receipts and warranties be provided. Then confirm the work at your final walkthrough. The downside is that you don't control who does the work or how.
Ask for a closing credit. The seller contributes money toward your closing costs instead of doing the repair, and you hire your own contractor afterward. Lenders limit how much sellers can contribute, and a credit generally can't exceed your actual closing costs and prepaid items. Loan programs cap seller contributions differently, so check with your loan officer before asking. See how seller concessions work.
Ask for a price reduction. A lower price reduces the loan amount and the payment, but it doesn't put cash in your hands for repairs. It can also interact with the appraisal. See appraisal gaps.
Accept the home as-is, or cancel within your contract's inspection or due diligence terms if the findings change your mind. Canceling on time under those terms protects your earnest money in many contracts, but the details depend on your contract and your state.
Lender-required repairs are different
Some repairs aren't negotiable preferences. They're conditions of the loan. FHA and VA loans have minimum property requirements, and an appraiser may call for items like peeling paint on older homes, missing handrails or non-working systems to be fixed before closing. Conventional appraisers can also flag safety or soundness issues. These usually must be addressed for the loan to close, so talk with your agent and loan officer about them right away.
How to write a request that gets a yes
- Be specific. Name the item, reference the report page, and attach any contractor estimate.
- Prioritize. Lead with safety, water and major systems. Leave minor items out, or group them.
- Consider the seller's view. Known issues may already be reflected in the price. Items disclosed before your offer carry less weight in negotiation.
- Watch the calendar. Send your request with enough time left to respond, counter and still act before your deadline.
- Get agreements in writing, using the forms your state and contract require. Verbal promises about repairs are hard to enforce.
If you're the seller
Sellers can reduce surprises by getting a pre-listing inspection and addressing or disclosing issues up front. When a request arrives, you can agree, counter with a credit instead of repairs, or decline, knowing the buyer may walk away within their contract rights. Keep in mind that what you learn from a buyer's inspection may affect your disclosure obligations if that deal falls through.
Frequently asked questions
What should you ask the seller to fix after a home inspection?
Focus on safety issues, water intrusion and major systems like the roof, foundation, HVAC, plumbing and electrical. Most buyers leave routine maintenance and cosmetic items off the request.
Is it better to ask for a repair or a credit?
A credit lets you choose the contractor and control the work, but lenders limit seller credits. Repairs make sense for safety items or anything the lender requires before closing. It depends on the item, your loan and the timeline.
Can I back out after the home inspection?
Often, yes, if you act within your contract's inspection contingency or due diligence period and follow its terms. The rules for backing out and for earnest money depend on your contract and state.
Does the seller have to make the repairs I ask for?
Generally not. A repair request is a negotiation. The seller can agree, counter or decline, subject to your contract terms and any lender-required repairs.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Inspection contingencies, due diligence periods, deadlines, forms and earnest money rules vary by state and contract. Work with your real estate agent, and consult a real estate attorney when needed.
