The inspection is done, the report has arrived, and now you are staring at findings, wondering which ones to ask the seller to fix. The way you handle the repair request shapes the rest of your transaction. A well-built request after a house inspection gets you what you need. A scattered or aggressive request weakens the entire ask and may damage the relationship with the seller. This guide walks through the principles, the strategy, and the practical steps for requesting repairs effectively.

Start With the Severity Ratings

A thorough home inspection report uses severity ratings to separate major defects from minor issues, routine maintenance, and items to monitor. Group the findings by severity before you start drafting your request. Major defects (safety hazards, system failures, code violations, active leaks) belong at the top of any request. Minor defects and routine maintenance items usually do not. This single sorting exercise prevents most of the common mistakes buyers make when requesting repairs.

What Tends to Get Approved

Sellers and listing agents reviewing a home inspection request generally approve documented health and safety issues, code-required repairs (such as missing smoke alarms or seismic strapping in California), and findings the seller did not previously disclose. Sellers also tend to approve requests when the documentation is strong, when the request is reasonable in scope, and when the items would clearly affect the buyer's ability to insure or finance the property.

What Tends to Get Denied

Cosmetic items, routine maintenance, and findings priced into the buyer's bid based on the property's age typically get pushed back. Old paint, worn carpet, outdated fixtures, and minor wear are usually the buyer's responsibility after closing. Asking for too much weakens the request and signals to the listing side that the buyer is negotiating in bad faith.

Pick a Path: Repairs, Credits, or Price Adjustment

Once you know what to request, you have three options for how to ask. Request specific repairs completed before closing, where the seller hires the contractor and the work happens on a defined timeline. Ask for cash credits at closing, where you receive the money and hire your own contractors after taking possession. Or renegotiate the purchase price downward based on the documented condition of the property. Each path uses the same documentation from your house inspection but plays out differently in the transaction.

Why Most Buyers Choose Credits

Cash credits at closing have become the most common request because they give the buyer control over which contractors do the work and how it gets done. Sellers often prefer credits too because they remove the seller's responsibility for repair quality and free them from coordinating contractors during the closing window. A documented dollar amount on the settlement statement is cleaner than open-ended repair commitments.

Get Quotes Before You Ask

Strong repair requests are backed by contractor quotes. If the inspector documents an aging roof, get a roofing quote. If the panel needs replacement, get an electrical quote. Quotes give your agent a real number to work with at the negotiating table and prevent the seller's side from dismissing your request as exaggerated. Most contractors will provide a written quote within a few days, which fits well within most contingency timelines.

How to Frame the Request

A repair request should be specific, documented, and reasonable. Reference the inspector's finding by page number or photograph. Attach contractor quotes where applicable. Use professional language rather than emotional framing. Lead with the most serious items and explain why each warrants seller action. A focused request lands more often than a long list of complaints.

Know When to Walk Away

Some inspection findings reveal problems serious enough that the right answer is not repair, credit, or price adjustment, but walking away from the property entirely. Serious foundation movement, major structural concerns, severe water damage, or a combination of findings that signals long-term neglect can change the entire calculation. The inspection contingency gives you the legal right to walk away, and sometimes that is the right move.

When you need a thorough home inspection that produces the documentation you can actually use in repair negotiations, Odyssey Home Inspection brings InterNACHI Certified inspectors, real construction and property management experience, and $2M liability insurance to every walkthrough across the greater Sacramento region. Our reports include photographs, plain-language descriptions, and severity ratings on every finding, supporting buyers, sellers, and real estate agents through every single step of the repair negotiation that follows after closing.