What to ask for after a home inspection
Ask for safety hazards, broken systems, and small problems that grow, each with a dollar figure. Skip cosmetic wear and old parts that still work.
Updated · By 
Ben Sikes
What is reasonable to ask for after a home inspection?
Ask for three kinds of findings: safety hazards, systems that don't work, and small problems that turn into big bills if you wait. Put a dollar figure on each one. Leave cosmetic wear and routine maintenance off the list. Sellers expect you to live with those, and padding your request with them makes the real items easier to wave away.
Key takeaways
- Ask for safety, function, and hidden-cost findings. Skip paint, caulk, and old parts that still work.
- A priced line gives the seller something to say yes to. "Roof damage" gives them nothing.
- Your starting ask is the sum of your priced lines, not a round number that feels fair.
How do you sort the findings on your report?
Go down the report one finding at a time and put each into one bucket. If you're unsure what the inspector's severity words mean, start with how to read a home inspection report.
| Bucket | What it looks like on the report | Ask for it? |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | A risk to a person right now, or a missing safety part: no GFCI (ground-fault circuit interrupter) outlet near water, a water heater relief line that stops short of the floor | Yes |
| Function | A system that isn't doing its job: a roof that leaks, a furnace that won't heat | Yes |
| Hidden cost | A small sign now that becomes a bigger repair later: water pooling at the foundation, corrosion on a fitting | Yes |
| Cosmetic or maintenance | Scuffed paint, worn caulk, a system near the end of its life that still works | No |
If a finding fits more than one bucket, file it under the most serious one. Safety beats function, and function beats hidden cost.
The inspectors' own standards draw the same line. The American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) has inspectors report systems that are "not functioning properly, significantly deficient, unsafe". Those are the items worth asking for.
What should stay off your list?
Cosmetic items: paint scuffs, a loose cabinet hinge, worn caulk, dated fixtures. Inspections don't even cover them. The International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI) says an inspection "will not deal with aesthetic concerns, or what could be deemed matters of taste, cosmetic defects".
Old but working systems also stay off. A 14-year-old water heater with no leak and no fault is not a defect. InterNACHI puts it plainly: a system "near, at, or beyond the end of its normal, useful life is not, in itself, a material defect." Budget for it after closing instead.
A quick test for anything left over: is it unsafe, broken, or about to cost more? If the answer is no to all three, it's a note for your to-do list, not a line in your request.
Why put a dollar figure on every line?
Because a number is something the seller can respond to. They can accept it, counter with their own contractor's bid, or question how you got it. A vague complaint like "roof damage" or "needs attention" gives them nothing to work with, so it's easy to refuse.
Compare two ways of asking for the same fix:
- Weak: _The roof has some issues and should be looked at._
- Strong: _Rear roof slope: replace cracked and lifted shingles and underlayment. Roofer's quote attached._
The second one names the location, the scope, and a price with a source. Every line on your list should read like that.
How much can you negotiate after a home inspection?
As much as your priced list adds up to. Total the cost of every safety, function, and hidden-cost finding, and that sum is your starting ask. It will almost never be a round number, and that's a good sign. It shows the seller you priced the report instead of picking a figure.
Most lines can be priced from the report itself. Kept prices every line of an inspection report for $79, usually under 4 hours. For the big, uncertain items (foundation movement, a whole-house repipe, regrading the yard), get a contractor out before you set the number. Here's how to get repair estimates during the inspection period when the clock is short.
If your list is dominated by a few large, uncertain repairs, you may be facing a different decision than a negotiation. See when to walk away after a home inspection.
Should you ask for repairs, a credit, or a price reduction?
The same total can be asked for three ways:
- Repairs: the seller fixes it before closing. Best when your lender requires the fix, since a credit won't satisfy that.
- A seller credit: the seller pays part of your closing costs, leaving you cash to hire your own contractor. Usually the best deal for buyers. See how a repair credit works at closing.
- A price reduction: lowers your loan and your monthly payment. Useful when a credit would go over your lender's limit.
The full comparison is in repairs vs. credit vs. price reduction, and the credit math is in seller credit vs. price reduction.
How do you word the request?
Keep it short, one finding per line, each with a location, a scope, and a price. Lead with safety items, then function, then hidden cost. Leave out commentary about the house or the seller.
For wording you can copy, use the buyer repair request letter template. Once you and the seller agree, the terms go into a repair addendum, which is what actually binds both sides.
What if one finding on your report is the big one?
Some findings deserve their own research before they go on your list. Each of these has a guide covering the hazard, the usual fix, and who to call:
- Foundation crack
- Federal Pacific panel
- Aluminum wiring
- Polybutylene pipes
- Galvanized pipes
- Double-tapped breaker
For a quick scan of what tends to matter most, see the biggest red flags in a home inspection.
Is $10,000 a lot to ask for?
Not if your priced list adds up to $10,000. The size of the ask matters less than whether every dollar traces to a finding on the report. If you want it as a seller credit, check your lender's limit. Fannie Mae caps seller contributions at 3% of the price for buyers putting less than 10% down, so a $10,000 credit fits on any home priced above about $333,000 ($10,000 divided by 3%).
Can the seller say no to your request?
Yes. The seller can agree, counter with a smaller number, or refuse. If they refuse, most inspection contingencies let you accept the house as is, keep negotiating, or cancel inside the window. Your contract sets the exact dates and terms, so confirm them with your agent. See can you back out after an inspection.
If your inspection window closes in days and you need a dollar figure on every line, upload your inspection report to Kept: $79 per memo, usually under 4 hours.
Sources
Cost figures are modeled from public wage and materials data unless a line says observed. Kept is accountable for the numbers on this page, and corrections go to support@usekept.com. How we price.