Does asking full price kill my chances at inspection concessions?

Hello Wren, Short answer: Yes, I like your rationale. To dig a little deeper, if the owner will not make any repairs, that term and condition should have been disclosed ahead of time. I would refer you to the contract. Whatever you agreed to should be written there. Not changed after the fact (verbally or otherwise). That said, I would still have my inspections and submit a repair request. IMHO, they would be crazy not to address sensible repairs. Warning: There are crazy people out there. Feel free to call or text with any other questions. Jerry McManus Keller Williams, Sewell, NJ

The broker is not wrong, exactly, but the reason given is not quite the real one. Let me untangle it, because the distinction matters for how you play this. Offering full price does not legally mean accepting the house as is. Those are two separate things. As is is a term that appears in your contract, or it does not. Your inspection contingency is a separate provision with its own deadline and its own rights. Price is price. If your contract has a working inspection contingency, you have the rights that contingency gives you regardless of what you offered. But the broker is describing something that is absolutely true about human beings. A seller who accepted full price feels they have already given you the number. When a repair request shows up two weeks later, it reads to them as a second negotiation, and sellers dig in on the second one in a way they do not on the first. That effect is real. I have watched it sink deals that should have closed easily. It is not a rule, it is a predictable reaction, and you can plan around it. So here is the distinction that actually decides this, and it is not full price versus lowball. It is what you ask for after the inspection. A request based on something material that was genuinely unknown lands well at almost any price point. A failing roof, an electrical hazard, active water intrusion, a system at the end of its life. Sellers grant those, because they know the next buyer inspector is going to find the same thing and they will be right back here in three weeks having the same conversation with somebody else. A request that is really a price adjustment dressed up as repairs lands badly, and it lands worst after a full price offer. A long list of cosmetic items and deferred maintenance you could plainly see on the tour tells the seller you are renegotiating, not protecting yourself. Sellers can tell the difference immediately, and so can their agent. Strategically, that means your plan can work, with one condition. Go in at a number you can defend with the closed sales, and then after the inspection ask for few things, big things, and things you can document with the inspector own language quoted back. Two serious items beats a fourteen line list every single time. A few practical notes. Ask for a credit rather than repairs where you can. Seller repairs get done to the standard of somebody who is moving out and never has to live with the result. A credit lets you hire your own contractor and control the quality. Check whether the contract you are about to sign says as is anywhere, because in some markets that language sits on the standard form and it changes this whole conversation. Read it before you write the offer, not after. And get your own inspector, not a referral you feel obligated to take. A thorough report is your entire leverage in this scenario, and a thin one leaves you with nothing to ask for. I am licensed in Alabama rather than Oregon, so the contract forms and the contingency mechanics where you are may work differently. Have your agent walk you line by line through the exact language of the one you are signing. Dustin Woodley, Camelot Properties, LLC — serving Montgomery, Prattville, Millbrook, Wetumpka, Pike Road, Auburn, Opelika, Lake Martin and the Tri County River Region area.

No, offering full price does not automatically mean you're agreeing to purchase the house "as-is" or giving up your right to request repairs or concessions after an inspection. Those are two separate issues. Your offer establishes the purchase price and other terms, while your inspection contingency—if your contract includes one—may give you the opportunity to investigate the property and negotiate based on what you discover. The seller can agree, refuse, or negotiate your requested repairs or credits, depending on the contract and applicable state law. In fact, offering full price and then requesting reasonable concessions after discovering a significant issue during the inspection can be a perfectly legitimate strategy. But I wouldn't make the offer assuming the seller will automatically give you a credit later. Inspection rights don't guarantee inspection concessions. The seller's response may also depend on the market. If there are multiple buyers waiting, a seller may be less willing to negotiate after inspection. If the property has been sitting and the seller is motivated, you may have more leverage. I'd ask your agent to show you exactly where the contract says that a full-price offer means you're accepting the property as-is. If they can't point to specific language, I'd want clarification about what they're basing that statement on. Ultimately, I would structure the offer based on the property's market value and the condition you know about today, then use your inspection contingency to address legitimate issues you discover—not as a guaranteed second opportunity to renegotiate the price. Juan Picos Real Estate Agent JohnHart Real Estate

Your understanding is closer to how many transactions actually work. Offering full price does not automatically mean you're agreeing to accept the property "as-is" or giving up your right to request repairs or concessions after an inspection. What happens after the inspection depends on the terms of your purchase agreement and any inspection contingency. If the inspection reveals significant issues, you may be able to request that the seller make repairs, provide a credit, reduce the price, or otherwise negotiate a solution—assuming your contract gives you that right. That said, there's an important distinction between what you are entitled to request and what the seller is obligated to provide. Even if you offer full price, the seller can refuse your requested concessions unless the contract or applicable law requires otherwise. Your strategy can make sense: a strong full-price offer may help you get the house under contract, and you can then use the inspection findings to negotiate legitimate issues. But I wouldn't make an offer assuming you'll automatically receive concessions later. I'd have your agent walk you through the specific inspection-contingency language in your contract before you submit the offer. That's what determines your actual negotiating rights—not simply whether you offered full price. Juan Picos Real Estate Agent JohnHart Real Estate

Wren, these two things are not necessarily correlated. Keith Jean-Pierre Managing Principal The Dapper Agents Real Estate Operations in ALL 50 States

No, offering full price does not automatically mean you’re accepting the home “as-is” or giving up your right to request repairs or concessions after the inspection. Those are generally two separate parts of the negotiation. Your offer establishes the purchase price and other terms, while the inspection can reveal conditions that weren’t known when you made the offer. Depending on the contract and contingencies, you may be able to request repairs, credits, or other concessions based on what the inspection finds. And yes, your strategy can make sense: offer a strong/full-price offer to get the seller comfortable with the deal, then negotiate legitimate inspection issues afterward. The catch is that the seller doesn't have to agree to your requested repairs or credits just because you paid full price. They can say no, and your leverage depends heavily on your inspection contingency, the condition of the property, and how competitive the situation is. So I wouldn't look at it as “full price = no concessions.” It's more like “full price may give you goodwill with the seller, but it doesn't guarantee they'll cooperate on inspection items.” Also, your agent should be able to point to the specific contract language they're relying on when they say you are accepting the property as-is.

Her broker is nuts if they said that. I suspect something more is going on than what you indicated. Usually offering full price, then negotiating after inspection, is a safe way to get seller attention on your offer. Worry about flaws the inspector finds AFTER your offer is accepted. And even then, the negotiations might simply be that the seller fixes things rather than adjusting price. It all depends on what's acceptable to both sides. If the house is genuinely overpriced, it could make sense to offer less. Your agent-if she IS your agent- should be able to guide you. The reason I stress this is because sometimes buyers contact the listing agent who represents the sellers. Then the agent assists the buyer transactionally, but is not the "BUYER'S AGENT." They remain the seller's agent, unless the buyer signs an agency agreement with them; then they'd be a dual agent. Sounds as if your agent might be new at this, and may not have a good broker, or may be misunderstanding something.

Wren, price and repairs are separate terms of the contract, and offering full price does not convert a sale into an as-is sale. As-is is language that has to be in the agreement. If your contract has an inspection contingency and does not say as-is, you have the right to ask, and asking is not bad faith. So the broker's statement is wrong as a matter of contract. But there is something true buried inside it, and it is worth hearing before you decide the broker is useless. What is true: a seller's willingness to give concessions is shaped by how he feels about the deal, and a full price offer sets a high expectation. A seller who accepted full price has mentally banked that number. When you come back after inspection asking for money, he experiences it as a price reduction he already declined, and some sellers dig in on principle. That is a behavioral reality, not a legal one, and it is a reason to be strategic about what you ask for, not a reason to lowball up front. What is also true, and this is the part nobody has mentioned: the appraisal caps this. If you offer full price and then ask for a large credit at closing, the deal still has to appraise for the contract price, and your lender also limits how much the seller is allowed to credit you based on your loan type and down payment. So the strategy of "offer high, claw it back later" has a hard ceiling. On a modest ask it works fine. On a large one you can find yourself with a seller who agreed and a lender who will not allow it. Ask your loan officer now what your concession cap is in dollars. Two minutes, and it tells you the real size of the sandbox. On the strategic question you actually asked, here is how I think about it. Offer high and negotiate after inspection is a good strategy when you need to win a competitive situation and the ask afterward will be modest and defensible. It is a bad strategy when the property is likely to have real problems, because now you are the buyer who bid up the house and is asking for a lot, and that is the deal that falls apart. Offering under asking is a good strategy when the property has been sitting, when your read on condition is already skeptical, or when you would rather have the discount locked in than depend on goodwill later. The thing that actually determines whether you get concessions is not your offer price. It is whether the request is specific, documented and framed as safety or function rather than preference. A request supported by a licensed contractor's written estimate for an active roof leak gets funded. A request for a lump sum because the inspection report was long does not, no matter what you offered. Two practical notes. Read your inspection contingency carefully, including the deadline and exactly what remedy it gives you, because that language and not your offer price is what defines your leverage. And ask for a credit rather than seller-performed repairs when you can. Seller repairs are done to the seller's standard by the seller's cheapest available contractor, on a deadline, and you inherit the result. One last thing. Your agent's broker gave her an answer, she passed it to you, and you correctly sensed it did not sound right. That instinct is good. Ask her to walk you through the actual contract language on as-is and on the inspection contingency, on the page. If she can do that, you are in fine hands. If she cannot, that is worth knowing now. I am a real estate professional, not an attorney, and Oregon forms differ from the California ones I work with daily, so read your own contract with your agent. Bend is not my market, I sell on the Palos Verdes Peninsula and in the South Bay here in Los Angeles, so I would not pretend to know your local norms on concessions. If you want a second opinion from someone in Central Oregon, tell me and I will connect you with a strong agent there, Zoltan Peresztegi. Zoltan

No, offering full price does not mean you are accepting the home "as-is," nor does it kill your chances of securing repairs or repair credits after inspections. In a standard California residential purchase agreement, almost all offers are submitted with a contingent physical inspection period unless you explicitly sign a waiver or an express "as-is" addendum upfront. Purchase price and post-inspection negotiations are two distinct phases of a deal. Offering full price simply demonstrates strong initial intent and secures the contract; it does not waive your contractually protected right to inspect the property, discover material defects, and submit a Request for Repair asking for real fixes, seller credits, or price reductions before your contingencies are removed. In fact, offering full price upfront can actually be a strategically smarter move than aggressive lowballing when your goal is to secure inspection concessions. When you lowball from the start, sellers often feel defensive, perceive the transaction as adversarial, or reject the offer outright. By securing the home at asking price first, you gain exclusive control of the property during your contingency period. Once health, safety, or structural issues are uncovered by professional inspectors, the dynamic shifts: the seller is now locked into contract with a serious buyer and faces the threat of having to disclose those freshly uncovered defects to future buyers if your deal falls through. That leverage often makes sellers far more willing to negotiate meaningful post-inspection credits or repair allowances than if you had angered them with a lowball offer at the baseline.

Wren, offering full price doesn't turn a house into an as-is sale, so I'd gently push back on what that broker told you. Whether you can ask for repairs after inspection depends on the contingencies in your contract, not on the number you offered. If the offer keeps an inspection contingency, you can request fixes or a credit, or walk away, whether you came in at list or under it. What the broker might have been getting at is a softer point: some sellers feel ambushed when a full price buyer comes back asking for a big credit, and they'll dig in. That's a negotiating mood, not a rule. My take on your plan is that it works fine when you ask for real defects the inspector actually found, and it backfires when it looks like a discount hunt. Since I'm licensed in California, have a Bend agent read the exact as-is language in your paperwork before you sign anything. Alla Novytska, Realtor®, JohnHart Real Estate, DRE #02254775

No. Offering full price does not mean you are accepting the house as-is, and it does not waive your right to ask for repairs or credits after inspection. List price and inspection credits are different levers. Full price (or pricing at market) is about getting the right buyer under contract. Inspection is a separate negotiation once they have walked the house and have a report. A strong offer does not lock you into zero repairs, and a softer offer does not guarantee you’ll get credits. What shapes concessions is the market and the condition of the home. In a hotter pocket, the seller has more room to say no or offer less. In a softer stretch, or if the report shows real issues (roof, foundation, HVAC), credits are normal even when the buyer paid list. So the smarter move is usually not lowballing up front to “buy” future repairs. Price to the comps, disclose what you know, get under contract, then treat the inspection as its own conversation with your agent once the report is in. Rose District, Inc. | CA DRE #02356332 | 25350 Magic Mountain Pkwy, Ste 190, Valencia, CA 91355