- Triage before you respond: sort every request into safety or health hazards, lender-required items, and cosmetic wish-list items. You owe your attention to the first two, not the third.
- A standard contract rarely forces repairs. Most purchase agreements let the buyer ask and let you decline, but if the buyer uses an FHA or VA loan, the lender can require certain fixes before closing.
- A cash credit usually beats doing the work. It avoids contractor markup, scheduling delays, and the risk the buyer rejects your repair quality.
- Refusing everything to "hold firm" is the expensive move. A blown deal puts you back on market, resets days on market, and forces disclosure of what the last inspection found.
- Counter in writing, line by line. Use a repair addendum that names each item, what you will and won't do, and a firm response deadline.
First, read the report for what it is, not what it feels like
A home inspection report is a long list of findings, and nearly every one of them finds something. In Porch's survey of recent buyers, roughly 86% of inspections turned up at least one issue, so a multi-page list of defects is normal, not a crisis. The question is not how many items appear. It is which ones actually matter and which are negotiating leverage dressed up as emergencies.
Perspective helps here. Most deals close. The National Association of Realtors' Realtors Confidence Index reported that in December 2025 only about 5% of contracts were terminated over the prior three months, and contracts typically closed in 30 days. A repair request is the start of a conversation, not the end of your sale.
Understand what the inspector was hired to flag. The American Society of Home Inspectors' Standard of Practice directs inspectors to report components that are not functioning properly, significantly deficient, unsafe, or near the end of their useful service life. It specifically excludes cosmetic imperfections that do not affect how a component works. So when a report lists a "deficiency," that is the inspector's job language, not proof the item is your responsibility to repair.
Sort every requested item into three buckets
Before you respond to a single line, sort the buyer's request. The right answer for each item depends entirely on which bucket it falls into.
Bucket 1: Safety and health hazards
These are the items that genuinely affect whether someone can live in the home safely: active roof leaks, exposed or frayed wiring, missing GFCI protection in wet areas, a cracked furnace heat exchanger, gas leaks, major water intrusion, non-working heat or hot water, and potential environmental hazards like lead paint in a pre-1978 home. Reasonable buyers push hardest here, reasonable sellers concede most here, and if you refuse these you often have to disclose them to the next buyer anyway. Our guide to critical versus cosmetic inspection issues breaks down which findings carry real weight.
Bucket 2: Lender-required items
These are not optional, and they are not really about the buyer. If the buyer is using FHA or VA financing, the appraiser evaluates the home against government minimum property standards, and the loan cannot close until listed deficiencies are cured. More on that below.
Bucket 3: Cosmetic and wish-list items
Loose doorknobs, a dripping faucet, a cracked driveway, worn caulk, a missing cover plate, dated but functional appliances. These are maintenance, not defects that break the deal. You are generally under no obligation to touch them, and a buyer who leads with a long cosmetic list is usually testing how much you will give.
Make the list visible. Physically mark each requested item B1, B2, or B3. When you can see that 11 of 14 requests are cosmetic, it is much easier to respond from strategy instead of panic.
What repairs are sellers actually required to make?
This is the question most sellers get wrong in both directions. The honest answer: in a standard resale, the contract almost never forces you to make a specific repair. Most state association purchase agreements give the buyer a right to request repairs or to cancel within the inspection window, and give you the right to decline. If you decline and the buyer walks within their contingency period, the deal ends and the buyer typically keeps their earnest money. Nobody is ordering you to swing a hammer.
There are two real exceptions.
Lender-required repairs. If the buyer's loan is government-backed, the home has to meet minimum standards regardless of what you and the buyer want. HUD's FHA valuation protocol directs the appraiser to note repairs needed to bring a property into compliance with Minimum Property Requirements, along with the estimated cost to cure. In practice that means the appraiser can flag a roof with less than two years of life, non-functioning utilities, exposed wiring, or peeling paint in a pre-1978 home, and those must be corrected before the loan can close. HUD itself has acknowledged that FHA deals draw more repair conditions and re-inspections than conventional ones, which is why some sellers hesitate at FHA offers. If you want the loan to fund, these get fixed, by you or through a negotiated solution.
State disclosure duties. Separate from repairs, most states require you to disclose known material defects. Once an inspection documents something, "I didn't know" is off the table for the next buyer. See what sellers must disclose by state before you assume refusing a repair ends your obligation.
"As-is" is not a force field. An as-is listing means you won't volunteer repairs, but the buyer can still inspect, still cancel within the contingency, and an FHA or VA appraiser can still require safety fixes. As-is limits haggling, it does not override lender rules.
Your four response options, compared
For any item you decide to address, you have four ways to respond. Each has a different cost and a different effect on your timeline.
| Response | What it means | Best when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do the repair | You hire the work and complete it before closing | Lender requires it, or the fix is cheap and easy to verify | Contractor markup, scheduling delays, buyer rejecting the workmanship |
| Cash credit at closing | You credit the buyer a set amount toward their costs | The buyer wants control of the work, or you can't finish in time | Lender caps on seller credits; the credit can't exceed closing costs on some loans |
| Price reduction | You lower the sale price by an agreed amount | The repair is big or the appraisal is a concern | Lowers the appraisal comp base; buyer still needs cash for the actual repair |
| Decline | You respond that you'll make no changes | Requests are purely cosmetic, or you have backup offers | Buyer can cancel within contingency; you may re-list and re-disclose |
You can mix these. A common, clean counter is: fix the one safety item the lender cares about, offer a modest credit for two mid-size items, and decline the cosmetic list. That shows good faith without opening your wallet to everything.
A sharp listing agent is worth their fee at this exact moment
The right agent knows local custom, which lender will require what, and how far a buyer will actually push. That judgment can save you thousands on a single repair counter.
Find a top local agentCredit vs. repair: the real cost difference
Sellers instinctively offer to "just fix it," assuming that feels cheaper than handing over cash. Usually the opposite is true.
When you hire the repair, you pay retail contractor pricing, which carries markup over materials, plus you own the scheduling risk. If a contractor can't get there for two weeks, your closing slips and you keep paying the mortgage, taxes, and insurance on a house you no longer want. Worse, the buyer gets to inspect your repair, and if they decide it was done cheaply, you are back at the table. As one widely cited analysis of 50,000 reports noted, sellers who agree to make repairs often choose the least expensive fix, leaving the buyer with no warranty and no recourse, which is exactly why many buyers prefer cash.
A credit flips that math. The buyer takes the money, picks their own contractor, and owns the outcome. You avoid markup, avoid delay, and avoid a second round of inspection drama. The one constraint to know: lenders cap seller-paid credits, and on many loans a credit can't exceed the buyer's actual closing costs. If the credit would blow past that cap, a price reduction may be the cleaner tool. Our explainer on how seller concessions and closing-cost credits work walks through those limits.
Scenario: the $6,000 question
The buyer requests $6,000 for a roof repair and some electrical fixes. A contractor quotes you $6,000 plus a two-week wait that adds roughly 10 days to closing. At $70 a day in carrying costs, doing the work yourself runs about $6,700 and risks the buyer rejecting the job. A flat $6,000 credit closes it today, with zero markup and zero delay. The credit is cheaper and faster, and that is the usual pattern.
The Repair Response Comparison Tool
Enter the numbers from your actual request to compare completing the repairs, offering an equivalent cash credit, or doing the work yourself, including the carrying cost of any delay.
Repair Response Comparison Tool
Estimate for education only. Confirm lender credit caps and contractor quotes before you counter.
The tool will not decide for you, because a credit that keeps a solid buyer from walking is worth more than a few hundred dollars of markup. But it does show you, in dollars, when "just fixing it" quietly costs more than writing a check.
Counter in writing, line by line
Respond through a repair addendum (your state may call it a resolution of inspection contingency or a reply to buyer's requests). Address every item individually. Vague answers invite a second round; specific answers close the loop.
Acknowledge, then itemize
List each requested item by the same number the buyer used. Mirror their format so nothing gets lost in translation.
State your response per item
Use plain verbs: "Seller will repair," "Seller will credit $___ in lieu of repair," or "Seller declines." No hedging.
Name the dollar figure and the method
If you credit, specify the amount and that it applies at closing. If you repair, state who will do the work and that it will be complete before closing.
Set a response deadline
Give the buyer a firm date to accept or counter. An open-ended offer lets the clock run against you.
Sample phrasing you can adapt with your agent or attorney: "In response to the buyer's repair request dated [date], Seller agrees to the following. Item 1 (GFCI outlets): Seller will repair prior to closing by a licensed electrician. Item 2 (roof flashing): Seller will provide a credit of $1,200 at closing in lieu of repair. Items 3 through 9: Seller declines, as these reflect routine maintenance and cosmetic condition. This offer expires at 5:00 p.m. on [date]."
Bundle, don't itemize to death. If you'd rather not debate nine line items, offer one lump credit "to resolve all inspection items." It gives the buyer flexibility and gets you to a single yes.
The honest counterpoint: holding firm usually costs more
Some sellers treat any concession as losing. They refuse everything on principle. In a genuine seller's market with backup offers in hand, that can work. In most markets, it is the most expensive choice you can make, and here is why.
If the buyer cancels within their contingency, you don't just lose this buyer. You reset your days on market, which signals to the next round of buyers that something is wrong. You now have to disclose the defects the last inspection found. And the next buyer will likely order their own inspection and find the same issues, except now they are negotiating from a position of knowing you already lost a deal. Learn why closings get delayed and who pays for it before you assume walking away is costless.
- Refusing a $1,500 safety fix over principle. You will likely disclose and re-negotiate it with the next buyer anyway, after weeks of lost time.
- Ignoring a lender-required item. On FHA or VA financing the loan simply won't fund. Declining doesn't make the requirement disappear, it kills the deal.
- Treating a modest credit as a loss. A $3,000 credit that saves the sale is almost always cheaper than two more months of carrying costs plus a lower re-listed price.
- Conceding everything out of fear. The opposite error. A cosmetic-heavy list is often a probe. Fix what's real, decline what's not.
The goal is not to win the repair fight. It is to close at a price you accepted, with the fewest dollars and days spent getting there. If your home has real condition issues, our guide to whether selling as-is is worth it compares repair ROI against as-is discounts, and a pre-listing inspection can defuse this whole negotiation before an offer ever arrives.
Don't negotiate your biggest asset alone
A top-performing agent handles the repair counter every week and knows exactly when to concede and when to hold. We match you with proven local agents by track record, not advertising spend.
Match with an agent nowFrequently asked questions
Am I legally required to fix anything a home inspection finds?
In a standard resale, almost never. Most purchase agreements let the buyer request repairs and let you decline. The main exceptions are lender-required repairs on FHA or VA loans, where HUD minimum property standards must be met before the loan funds, and your state's duty to disclose known defects to the next buyer.
Is it better to make the repair or offer a credit?
A cash credit is usually cheaper and faster. It avoids contractor markup, scheduling delays, and the risk the buyer rejects your workmanship. Making the repair yourself can make sense when the fix is small, easy to verify, or specifically required by the lender. Run your own numbers in the comparison tool above.
What's the difference between a credit and a price reduction?
A credit gives the buyer money toward closing costs, so they keep cash to do the repair. A price reduction lowers the sale price. Credits are often capped by the lender and can't exceed the buyer's actual closing costs on some loans. A price reduction has no such cap but changes the appraisal comparison base and doesn't directly hand the buyer repair cash.
Can an FHA or VA buyer force me to make repairs?
Not personally, but their lender effectively can. HUD's FHA valuation protocol has the appraiser note repairs needed to meet minimum property requirements, and the loan cannot close until those are cured. If you want that buyer's financing to go through, the flagged safety and soundness items get resolved one way or another.
What if the inspection list is dozens of items long?
That's normal. Around 86% of inspections find something, and most findings are minor. Sort the list into safety and health hazards, lender-required items, and cosmetic wish-list items. Focus your response on the first two buckets and decline most of the third.
Does selling "as-is" mean I can ignore the repair request?
As-is means you won't volunteer repairs, but it doesn't erase the buyer's right to inspect and cancel within the contingency, and it doesn't override a lender's requirements on a government-backed loan. As-is reduces haggling, it doesn't eliminate it.
How should I actually respond to the buyer?
In writing, through a repair addendum, item by item. State clearly for each request whether you will repair, credit, or decline, name any dollar amount, and set a deadline for the buyer to accept or counter. Have your agent or a real estate attorney review the wording.
What happens if I refuse everything?
The buyer can cancel within their inspection contingency and usually recover their earnest money. You then re-list, reset your days on market, and must disclose the defects the inspection found to future buyers. Refusing a modest, well-targeted concession frequently costs more than it saves.
The bottom line
A repair request is a negotiation, not a verdict. Triage the list, concede on the items that are genuinely about safety or that the buyer's lender requires, lean toward a clean cash credit over doing the work yourself, and decline the cosmetic noise in writing. The sellers who lose money here are rarely the ones who gave a little. They are the ones who dug in over a few hundred dollars, blew up a signed deal, and started over with a stale listing and a mandatory disclosure. Protect the sale, not your pride.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or legal advice. Figures cited are drawn from the National Association of Realtors' Realtors Confidence Index, HUD's FHA valuation protocol, the American Society of Home Inspectors' Standard of Practice, and publicly reported home inspection survey data. Contract rights, disclosure duties, and lender requirements vary by state and loan type, so confirm specifics with a licensed real estate professional or attorney. EffectiveAgents is a real estate agent matching service.
