A buyer can ask you to fix things after the inspection, and you get to say yes, no, or somewhere in between. It is a negotiation, not an order. The request usually shows up a few days after the offer is accepted, once the inspector’s report is in the buyer’s hands.
Where the request comes from
Nevada’s due diligence period gives the buyer a window to inspect the home and come back with concerns. Most repair requests land here, attached to the inspection report or a summary of it.
Some buyers ask for everything the inspector flagged, page by page. Others cherry pick the safety and function items and let the cosmetic stuff go. Both approaches are normal, and neither tells you much on its own about how serious the buyer is.
Your three options
You are not legally obligated to fix anything a buyer asks for. A repair request is a request, and you get to decide how to answer it.
Most sellers land on one of three responses. Fix the item before closing. Offer a credit at closing so the buyer handles it themselves. Or refuse the request outright.
Refusing is a real option, not just a technicality. It is also the riskiest one. Depending on the contract terms, a buyer who gets nothing they asked for may have the right to cancel the deal during due diligence and get their earnest money back.
Fixing versus crediting
Between the two safer paths, most sellers pick the credit. You are not managing a contractor on someone else’s deadline, and the buyer gets to choose their own fix rather than living with a repair they did not oversee.
Fixing it yourself makes more sense when the item is quick and cheap, or when you would rather control exactly how it gets handled than hand the buyer cash and hope.
What is usually worth fixing
- Anything tied to safety, like exposed wiring or a broken guardrail
- Anything that could stall the buyer’s financing, like a roof issue an appraiser will flag
- Small, cheap items that cost you far less than the goodwill they buy
- Anything you would have to disclose to the next buyer anyway if this deal falls apart
When a request can derail the deal
A long list of minor items can read as a buyer looking for a reason to walk, not a buyer trying to close. If the requests feel disconnected from the inspector’s actual findings, that pattern is worth noticing before you respond.
A major structural item is different. Foundation movement, real roof damage, or anything a lender’s appraiser would flag deserves a real conversation with your agent, not a reflexive no.
Simple summary
A buyer’s repair request is a starting point for negotiation, not a bill you automatically owe. You have three real options: fix it, credit it, or refuse it. The first two are close calls on convenience. The third is the riskiest, since it can be the reason a buyer walks.
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