Do You Have to Fix Everything on the Inspection Report?

The buyer's inspection report lands in your inbox. It's 40 pages long. There are red notes, orange notes, photos of your water heater from angles you've never seen.

Take a breath. That report is not a to-do list, and you are not required to fix all of it.

The Short Answer

No. In California, a seller usually isn't required to make the repairs a buyer's inspection finds unless the contract says so. The buyer can ask for repairs, a credit, or a lower price, and you can say yes, say no, or counter. What you must do is disclose what you know. The rest is a negotiation, and most of what's on a long report is normal for a lived-in home.

Why the Report Looks So Scary

Inspectors are paid to find things. A good one notes everything, from a loose outlet cover to a roof that's near the end of its life. That's their job, and it's helpful.

But the report doesn't rank items by what a buyer will actually care about. Everything looks equally urgent on the page. It isn't.

How I Read an Inspection Report

I've been on job sites longer than most agents have been in real estate, and I hold a general contractor license. That's how I see a report. I sort it into three piles before we talk about a single repair.

Safety and systems

Things like active leaks, electrical hazards, gas issues, or a failing roof. Buyers and their lenders tend to care about these, and they're worth taking seriously.

Normal wear

A dripping faucet. A sticky slider. Worn caulk. In a Santa Maria or Lompoc home that's been lived in for 20 years, this is expected, and most buyers know it.

Upgrades in disguise

"Recommend updating to current standards." That's often an older but working system, not a defect. Your house doesn't have to meet the code of a home built this year.

Your Options When the Buyer Asks for Repairs

The buyer sends a written request for repairs. From there you can agree to fix some items, offer a credit at closing instead, adjust the price, or decline. Each choice has a tradeoff.

A credit is often cleaner than doing the work yourself in the middle of escrow. You avoid scheduling contractors while you pack, and the buyer gets to choose who does the work. Repairs you do agree to make should be done by licensed people, with receipts.

Get Ahead of It

The best way to keep the report from scaring you is to know what's in it before a buyer does. A pre-listing inspection and pest report give you time to decide what to fix, what to disclose, and what to price in, on your schedule instead of the buyer's.

I always recommend both. My eye is how I see a house. It never replaces the inspection.

Your One Step This Week

Thinking about selling in Santa Maria, Orcutt, or Lompoc and worried about what an inspector will find? Call or text me at (805) 868-6126 before you spend a dollar on repairs. We'll figure out what actually matters.

Lisa Bognuda, REALTOR® | DRE #02019640 | eXp Realty of California, Inc. | Licensed General Contractor, CSLB #283343