Negotiating Repairs After the Home Inspection

Every inspection report looks alarming. Forty pages of items will do that. The skill is sorting what actually matters and asking for it the right way.

Sort the list into three buckets

• Safety and structural — active leaks, electrical hazards, failed systems. These are fair to raise.
• Deferred maintenance — worn caulk, a tired water heater. Real, but expected in a used home.
• Cosmetic — paint, a cracked switch plate. Let these go.

Ask for a credit, not a contractor

A seller scrambling to make repairs before closing often does the cheapest possible job. A closing-cost credit lets you hire your own contractor and fix it properly, on your timeline. Credits also close faster.

Pick your battles

A focused objection on three real problems lands far better than a twenty-item demand letter. Sellers dig in when they feel nickel-and-dimed; they cooperate when the ask is reasonable.

Know your walk-away line

Decide in advance what finding would actually end the deal. Clarity keeps the emotion out of the negotiation.