What is the best way to ask for repairs after a home inspection reveals minor issues?

If you really like the house and the issues are relatively minor, I'd focus on negotiating for a reasonable solution rather than sending the seller a long list of every small item in the inspection report. A closing credit can often be more convenient because it allows you to handle the repairs yourself after closing and gives you control over the quality of the work. However, credits are subject to the terms of your loan and lender limits, so confirm with your lender that the requested amount is allowed. For items that are inexpensive and straightforward—such as a leaking faucet—the seller may be more willing to fix them before closing. For electrical issues, I'd be more cautious about simply asking for a quick repair. If the work involves safety or code concerns, you want it handled properly by a qualified professional. I'd prioritize the items that affect safety, functionality, or potentially future costs. Then ask for either specific repairs or a credit based on reasonable estimates. Your agent can help you negotiate without making the request unnecessarily aggressive. Also remember that an inspection is a negotiation opportunity, not necessarily a guarantee that the seller will correct everything. The exact rights you have depend on your inspection contingency and purchase agreement. Juan Picos Real Estate Agent JohnHart Real Estate

George, you can ask but there is no guarantee that the repairs will be taken care of. Also depending on your market, it might not be worth rocking the boat for small issues if your market is very competitive. Keith Jean-Pierre Managing Principal The Dapper Agents Real Estate Operations in ALL 50 States

I personally prefer a credit when its an option, and it sounds like it is for you. The reason I prefer a credit, even though it adds some work for you once you own the home, is that you get to select the service providers and ensure the repairs are done the way you would like them. It isn't left to the seller who sometimes selects the cheapest and fastest route to getting things complete. I'm sure your real estate agent has a list of trusted professionals they can recommend to help facilitate the repairs and you could probably even get them all taken care of before you moved in if you timed it right. The decision is ultimately up to you and you should get estimates before agreeing to a credit so you aren't ending up with a large bill right at move in.

The one thing I'd add is the framing around how you think about the two options. A credit gives you control. When a seller fixes something, you inherit whatever quality of work they approved on whatever timeline worked for them. When you take a credit and hire your own contractor after closing, you choose the person, the materials, and the timeline. For items like electrical work where the quality of the repair actually matters, that's worth something. The other consideration is what you're actually asking for. A leaky faucet is a repair. Outdated outlets is a description that could mean several different things — some of which are safety items and some of which are purely cosmetic preference. Before you ask, it's worth clarifying with your inspector which category each item falls into. Asking for a credit on a genuine safety finding lands very differently than asking for one because you'd prefer updated fixtures. Keep the list short, keep it specific, and back it up with a contractor estimate if you can. That approach tends to move things forward rather than creating friction. For more on how to think through what's worth asking for after an inspection: pillarrealestate.com/blog/should-i-ask-the-seller-to-fix-everything-on-the-home-inspection Amber Amber Johnson, Founder Pillar Real Estate 805.835.3425 [email protected] 1345 Park St. Paso Robles, CA 93446 DRE# 01925434

It will depend on what is needed. If anything is listed on the inspection report as a "defect" or "safety hazard" then these should be asked for, or else negotiate price. If there are a lot of little things, you can still see if they'd negotiate either repairs or price. In my state, buyers almost always ask for electrical repairs. Your agent can guide you.

George, for the kind of items you're describing I'd take the credit almost every time. A seller who has already mentally moved out hires the cheapest person available and does the work the week before closing. You inherit a faucet that was fixed once, badly. With a credit you choose your own electrician and set your own timeline. The exception is anything a lender or insurer might care about, since those sometimes have to be corrected before closing regardless of what you'd prefer. Outdated outlets can occasionally fall in that bucket depending on what your inspector wrote, so ask your inspector directly whether that was flagged as a safety item or just as dated. Keep your request short and specific. A tidy list of a few things reads very differently to a seller than a full inspection report with everything highlighted. I'm a California agent, so your own agent should confirm how credits are handled in your state. Alla Novytska, Realtor®, JohnHart Real Estate, DRE #02254775

George, take the credit, not the repairs. On small items like a leaky faucet and dated outlets, a seller-performed repair is done by the cheapest available contractor on a deadline, to a standard nobody agreed on in writing, and you inherit the result with no leverage left. A credit lets you hire your own person and get it done the way you want. There is a limit on that, and you should know it before you ask. A closing cost credit has to fit inside your lender's seller concession cap, which varies by loan type and down payment, and it also has to fit inside the appraised value. Call your loan officer and ask for the cap in actual dollars for your loan. Two minute call, and it tells you the size of the ask that is even possible. Now the part that determines whether you get it: how you ask. Do not send the inspection report. Sellers who receive a 60 page report with a request attached read it as a shakedown, because the report lists everything including the trivial. Send a short, specific list, in writing, through your agent. Prioritize ruthlessly. Ask for the items that are safety or function, and let the cosmetic ones go. Outdated outlets are worth asking about if the inspector flagged them as ungrounded, reverse-polarity, or missing GFCI protection near water, because that is a safety finding. "Outdated" alone is a preference, and asking for preferences is what makes sellers dig in on everything else. Attach numbers. A written estimate from a licensed contractor for the items you are asking about does more work than any amount of explanation. It converts the conversation from "how do you feel about this" into "here is what it costs." Sellers who refuse a vague number often approve a documented one. Keep the ask proportionate. You said there is nothing structural. A modest, well-documented request on a house you like usually gets met. A large one on a clean inspection reads as buyer's remorse and can genuinely blow up an otherwise fine deal. One nuance worth having in your pocket. If something turns out to be a real defect rather than a small item, sometimes a repair is better than a credit, because you want the fix documented and permitted before you own it. Anything involving a permit, active water intrusion, or a system at end of life falls in that category. That is not your situation from what you have described, but the distinction is worth knowing. Last, read your inspection contingency before you write anything. It sets your deadline and it defines exactly what remedy you have. Miss the deadline and the strength of your request stops mattering. Your agent should be on top of that date, and if you are not sure what it is, ask today. For what it is worth, a leaky faucet and a few outlets on a bungalow with no structural problems is a good inspection. Do not let a long list of small items talk you out of a house you like. Ask cleanly once, take a reasonable answer, and move on. I am a real estate professional, not a contractor or an attorney, so confirm the contingency language and the deadline with whoever is handling your closing. You did not say where the house is beyond the Midwest. Tell me the city and I will connect you with a strong local agent if you need one. I work the Palos Verdes Peninsula and the South Bay in Los Angeles, so I would not claim to be local to you, but I am happy to keep answering questions on this thread as you go through it, Zoltan Peresztegi. Zoltan