Unreasonable Buyer Requests After an Inspection? Here's What to Do

Selling a home is stressful enough. Then the home inspection report lands, the buyer sends over a repair list, and suddenly you're staring at a page of demands that feel excessive, nitpicky, or like a quiet attempt to chip away at your price. Plenty of sellers describe the urge to throw the whole report at the wall and see what sticks, or they suspect the buyer is just fishing.

Take a breath. It feels personal, but it's almost always a negotiation, not an attack. Repair requests and concessions are standard practice now, not a red flag: roughly 83% of recent buyers asked for at least one concession, with a price cut and repair money the two most common asks, according to our own research.[1] On the other side of the table, about 44% of sellers handed over a concession in early 2025, close to the record 45.1% reached in early 2023.[2]

The list itself isn't the emergency, and the risk usually isn't overpaying for one repair; it's the deal falling apart over it. That's the calculation to keep in mind as you decide what to fix, what to negotiate, and what to decline.

As Eric Bramlett, owner of Bramlett Real Estate, puts it, "No one truly knows what lies beneath the surface of a home until you get the whole-home inspection done." Issues come up in almost every deal. That doesn't mean every finding is yours to fix.

What fixes are mandatory after a home inspection?

Legally speaking, there are no mandatory home fixes after a home inspection. Assuming the purchase agreement you signed was fairly standard, there was likely a contingency that stated the buyer can cancel the purchase contract (and get their earnest money back) if major issues are discovered upon inspection. So, in the worst case scenario, the buyer can just walk.

However, while you may not be on the hook for repairs as far as the law goes, it may still be in your best interest to take care of them — or at least be willing to negotiate a repair credit or price reduction to cover the costs.

When it comes to problems like structural defects and safety issues, lenders may require that the issues be resolved before they grant the buyer a mortgage. So even if a buyer is willing to purchase your home as is, they simply may not be able to do so — in which case your buyer pool may be limited to investors. The buyer's loan type shapes how much room you have here. A VA or FHA appraisal can flag certain health and safety items that have to be resolved before the loan closes, while conventional financing tends to be more flexible.[3] It's worth finding out which loan your buyer is using before you decide what to refuse.

In most cases, sellers end up fixing or offering credits for major issues that compromise the structural integrity, safety, or livability of the home. Buyers tend to be responsible for smaller and less urgent issues.

How to triage the buyer's repair list: Reasonable, negotiable, or unreasonable

A long repair list feels overwhelming because it arrives as one undifferentiated wall of demands. The fastest way to calm it down is to stop asking whether each item is "reasonable" in the abstract and start sorting by what it really is: a genuine defect, routine maintenance the buyer should own, or an outright upgrade.

A defect affects safety, structure, or whether the home functions, so it usually deserves a fix or a credit. Routine maintenance (the upkeep every homeowner handles) and cosmetic upgrades are generally the buyer's to take on once they own the place. The gray zone in the middle is where negotiation happens.

The table below runs common inspection findings through that filter, with typical costs so you can weigh each item in dollars, plus a suggested response.

Example issue	Defect, maintenance, or upgrade?	Typical cost	Recommended seller response
Active roof leak or missing shingles	Defect	Repair ~$1,150; full replacement ~$9,500 (~$5,900–13,200)	Usually fix or offer a credit
Foundation cracks or structural movement	Defect	National avg ~$5,100; major piering $15,000–30,000+	Get a structural engineer's assessment, then credit or escrow
Outdated/unsafe electrical panel (Federal Pacific/Zinsco)	Defect (often an insurance issue)	Panel swap ~$2,000–4,000	Address it; see the insurance note above
Missing GFCI outlets in an older home	Grandfathered, but a cheap safety upgrade	~$150–300 each	Low-cost goodwill fix
Aging but functional HVAC or water heater	Negotiable	HVAC replacement ~$5,000–8,300	Send proof it works; offer a credit or warranty
Running toilet, loose doorknobs, squeaky hinges	Maintenance	Minimal	Decline or DIY
Furnace cleaning or servicing	Routine maintenance	Minimal	Decline; name it plainly
New attic pull-down stairs so the inspector can reach the scuttle	Convenience upgrade dressed as a repair	n/a	Decline; offer a re-inspection instead
Paint touch-ups, cosmetic scratches, landscaping	Upgrade	n/a	Decline

Source: HomeAdvisor[4] [5] [6]

What are reasonable requests following a home inspection?

Most buyers use the inspection to confirm the home is safe, functional, and structurally sound, not to demand upgrades or push the property toward "like new"”" condition.

A good rule: If the issue affects safety, structure, or basic habitability, it’s usually reasonable.

Common reasonable requests include:

• Major electrical defects or outdated panels that pose safety risks
• Significant plumbing issues, including leaks or water heater failures
• Roofing problems like active leaks or missing shingles
• Structural concerns such as foundation cracks, sagging floors, or substandard construction
• HVAC malfunctions or units not performing adequately
• Drainage issues that could cause water intrusion
• Environmental hazards (lead-based paint, radon above EPA guidelines, mold)
• Pest infestations, especially termite activity
• Well or septic failures
• Animal intrusion in attics or crawlspaces

"The most frequent inspection objections involve the roof, plumbing, HVAC, electrical systems, and structural/foundation concerns," says Adrian Pedraza, property investor and owner of The California Home Buyer. "Sellers should have these major systems evaluated by professionals prior to listing so they aren't surprised by inspection findings." Addressing these issues — or negotiating a fair credit — is often necessary to satisfy buyers and lenders.

Sellers of older homes get tripped up here. A house only has to meet the electrical code that was in effect when it was built, so a missing GFCI outlet in a 1950s home is usually a flagged safety item, not a code violation you're required to correct.[7]

Even so, GFCIs are a recognized, inexpensive safety upgrade, so adding them is usually worth the goodwill.

What are negotiable requests following a home inspection?

This middle tier is where most of your decisions live: issues that aren't dangerous enough to be true defects, but real enough that you can't wave them off. Think old appliances, a running toilet, or an aging-but-still-working roof or HVAC system. The good news for you as the seller is that almost everything here is negotiable, which means you rarely have to choose between paying full freight and blowing up the deal.

The strongest counter is documentation. Pedraza describes a client who got an inspection objection asking for $8,000 in roof repairs on a $625,000 home. "By providing documentation that the roof had 5 years left per the inspector's report, we negotiated the request down to a $3,000 credit," Pedraza says. The sale closed. That's the whole play in one move: take the ask, counter it with proof, and land on a number that keeps everyone at the table.

Los Angeles-based realtor Sammy Lyon explains: "Whatever repairs show up on an inspection report are totally negotiable. The seller isn't obligated to pay for repairs ... but then again, neither is the buyer! So the most prudent choice is to find a meeting of the minds that will help the sale go through."

What are unreasonable requests following a home inspection?

Unreasonable requests are typically those that address cosmetic issues, normal aging, or items the buyer already knew about before submitting their offer. These requests attempt to shift routine maintenance or optional upgrades onto the seller.

These are the requests worth pushing back on, and they tend to fall into two buckets sellers see over and over. The first is being asked to cover routine maintenance, like paying to have the furnace cleaned, which is the kind of upkeep any homeowner handles. The second is a convenience upgrade dressed up as a repair, like demanding brand-new pull-down attic stairs because the inspector couldn't reach the scuttle. Sellers sometimes call a long, grabby list like this "fishing," or throwing the whole report at the wall to see what sticks. Naming it for what it is makes it easier to decline without guilt.

Examples of unreasonable buyer requests include:

• Cosmetic fixes (paint touch-ups, outdated light fixtures, countertop scratches)
• Minor wear and tear (loose doorknobs, squeaky hinges, small wall cracks)
• Landscaping or curb appeal enhancements
• Replacements of aging but functional systems or appliances
• Requests to update kitchens, bathrooms, or flooring
• Repairs for items clearly visible during the showing
• Demands for upgrades that exceed the home’s price point or age
• Requests to repair or update outdoor buildings, such as sheds or garages
• “Laundry list” repair requests covering dozens of nonessential items
• Attempts to renegotiate the purchase price through inflated repair cost estimates

"It's worth pushing back if there are non-critical issues like repainting a room, or if there are issues the buyer noticed during a showing but didn't object to at the time," says investor Martin Orefice, CEO, Rent To Own Labs.

Market conditions matter, too. In a hot seller’s market, you have more leverage to decline unreasonable requests. In a buyer’s market, you may need to compromise selectively — but you still don’t need to accept cosmetic or elective demands.

How to respond to and counter a repair request

When selling a home, the negotiation process can get emotional, especially right after an inspection. Realtors recommend the following strategies for keeping negotiations from getting out of hand.

Be proactive

Keep detailed maintenance records

Many realtors advise keeping detailed maintenance records and taking care of minor repairs before putting your home on the market as ways of preventing inspection negotiations from getting out of hand.

"If you've replaced that 15-year-old water heater already, documentation can help you negotiate," says Ryan Fitzgerald, an experienced realtor and owner of Raleigh Realty. Just be sure to keep your receipts as proof of the work.

Send proof

For anything that still works, proof often beats payment. A short video of the windows opening and closing, photos of a running HVAC unit, or the inspector's own note that the roof has years of life left can retire a line item without a dollar changing hands.

Take care of known issues upfront

"It's also wise to make minor repairs proactively so buyers have less ammo," says Fitzgerald.

"Buyers who are now paying a much higher interest rate than they would have paid in recent years are often still willing to pay a premium if they can just move in and not have to deal with further expenses or projects," agrees realtor Tamara Asken.

"It's important to work with a good realtor to estimate the sales price with and without the work, and get bids on the costs of making repairs," says Asken. "If the sale price that the house would fetch is far in excess of the current value plus the cost of the repairs, then it's worth doing the work."

Consider offering credits and warranties in lieu of making repairs

For known issues, offering a repair credit upfront may be the best course of action, says Asken.

"A client of mine bought a property where the seller knew his foundation needed a serious repair," the realtor recalls. "He had gotten a bid for $40,000 and wrote into the contract that he was going to leave $40,000 from the proceeds of the sale in an escrow account to be paid to the foundation repair company at close, thereby taking the problem out of the negotiation completely," Asken recalls

"Taking the surprise out of the experience can often improve the process for everyone," says Asken. (To put that number in context, the national average foundation repair runs closer to $5,100, with minor crack sealing as low as a few hundred dollars.[6] A $40,000 bid signals a serious structural case, not a routine one.)

Being proactive doesn't always have to be expensive, either. "Simply offering a home warranty can ease buyers' concerns about aging appliances," advises Seth Williams, realtor and owner of Reference Real Estate. The average home warranty runs about $1,049 a year, with plans ranging from roughly $80 to $8,100 depending on coverage and home size, plus a $75–$125 service-call fee each time you use it.[8]

There's another reason a credit often beats doing the work yourself: if you make the repair and it later fails, that can land back on you, and buyers tend to distrust a cheap, rushed fix anyway. Handing over a credit lets the buyer hire whom they want and closes the issue cleanly.

Take stock of the current market

In a sellers' market, you may be able to push back on repair requests. "But when the market is favorable to buyers, it may be necessary to make concessions to maintain a competitive advantage," says Williams.

When going into negotiations, consider the amount of time the house has been on the market. If the house was snatched up right away, it may have enough appeal to attract another offer quickly.

If the house has been on the market longer, however, the issues brought up in the inspection could make it hard to secure another offer— especially since the problems will now have to be disclosed to the next buyer.

Consider whether the repairs will be a concern for the next buyer

As a seller, make calculated repairs based on your ability to sell the house to someone else for the same price. A bad roof or cracks in the foundation will be red flags to any buyer, whereas the peeling paint may be less of an issue to someone eager to buy in your neighborhood.

"A buyer threatening to walk means something different in different situations," explains Orefice. "If you have other offers lined up, or are expecting some soon — or even if you're just in no huge hurry to sell — by all means, let them walk."

"If the buyer has pointed out issues that will deter anyone from buying your home, though, or even if they're minor issues but you're in a hurry to sell, it's usually smart to negotiate," Orefice says.

Having your house go back on the market after going under contract spells trouble. Buyers are going to want to know what the issue was — so it may be best just to reason with the current buyer or be prepared to fix the issues and highlight the work that was done in the listing description. 

Keep a level head

"Some people take the objections personally, like the buyer is trying to nickel and dime them or back out of the contract. But that's usually not the case at all," says Bramlett. "My advice is to listen to what the buyer is concerned about before getting fired up to defend your property."

"Of course, you also don't want to agree to fix or pay credits for every little thing," continues Bramlett. "The repair lists can start to add up quickly if you're not careful. So once you've heard out the buyer, it's important to methodically evaluate each item. Look at contractors' estimates, and consider the severity and cost."

Remember that the buyer also has a vested interest in following through with the contract, cautions Pedraza, "so don't panic if a buyer initially threatens to terminate the contract over an inspection issue either. Calmly assess if their demands are reasonable, and if they're not, stand firm in your counteroffer."

"Many buyers return to continue negotiations once emotions cool down," Pedraza says. 

Know when to walk away

All in all, you’ll want to be reasonable about what repairs you’re willing to make as having a deal fall through does not bode well for your home’s future selling potential.

It helps to know what's really at stake when you dig in. Around 15% of home-purchase contracts were canceled in September 2025, among the highest rates on record, and Redfin agents report that more than 70% of the deals that fall apart do so over inspection and repair issues.[9] Read that from your side of the table, not as a reason to cave. The point is to weigh one repair against the real cost of the deal collapsing, going back on the market, and having to disclose the same issue to the next buyer.

"But If you run into issues with buyers who are being unreasonable, don't be afraid to walk away if needed either," says Fitzgerald. "There's always another house and another buyer out there!"

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