What If Buyers Ask for Repairs on My Forest Hills Home?
Quick Answer
If buyers ask for repairs after inspecting your Forest Hills home, you usually have several options. You can agree to make certain repairs, offer a credit, adjust the price, say no, or negotiate a smaller solution. The right response depends on the repair item, the offer terms, the buyer’s financing, the condition of your home, and how much risk you are willing to take if the buyer walks away.
Repair requests are a normal part of many home sales. They do not automatically mean the sale is falling apart. The key is to separate serious issues from minor preferences and respond in a way that protects your timeline, your net proceeds, and your final outcome.
Why Repair Requests Come Up After Inspection
Most buyers do not know everything about a home when they make an offer. A private inspection gives them more information about the roof, mechanical systems, electrical, plumbing, structure, windows, drainage, decks, appliances, attic, basement, and exterior condition.
In the Forest Hills area, inspection questions can be especially property-specific. Some homes are newer subdivision homes. Others are older homes, wooded-lot properties, acreage homes, or properties with septic, well, deck, drainage, roof, or mechanical concerns. A buyer may love the location and school path but still have questions after the inspection.
Michigan sellers should also remember that the state has a Seller Disclosure Act. The Michigan Legislature describes the seller disclosure statement as a disclosure of the condition and information concerning the property known by the seller. You can review the act here: Michigan Seller Disclosure Act.
What Buyers Usually Ask For After Inspection
Buyer repair requests can vary widely. Some are small and easy to handle. Others can become major negotiation points.
Common examples include:
- Roof repairs or roof documentation
- Electrical corrections
- Plumbing leaks or older plumbing concerns
- Furnace, air conditioning, or water heater issues
- Deck safety concerns
- Basement moisture or drainage questions
- Septic or well inspection findings
- Radon mitigation requests
- Window, siding, or exterior maintenance items
- Minor handyman repairs
Not every request deserves the same response. A loose handrail is different from a failed septic system. A dated furnace is different from a non-functioning furnace. A buyer asking for a long list of small items is different from a buyer raising a legitimate safety, financing, or insurance issue.
Option 1: Agree to Make the Repair
Sometimes the simplest answer is to make the repair. This can work well when the item is clear, affordable, and easy to complete before closing.
Examples might include fixing a small plumbing leak, servicing a furnace, repairing a loose railing, replacing a damaged outlet cover, or correcting a minor safety issue.
The downside is that the seller has to manage the work, provide receipts if required, and make sure the repair is completed in a way that satisfies the agreement. If the repair is more complicated, there can be disagreement about who should do the work, what standard should apply, or whether the repair was completed properly.
Option 2: Offer a Credit Instead of Doing the Work
In some situations, a credit can be cleaner than having the seller make the repair. The buyer can handle the work after closing, choose their own contractor, and control the final result.
This can be useful when the issue is real but does not need to be corrected before closing. However, seller credits have to work with the buyer’s loan type and closing costs. A buyer cannot always use unlimited credits, and some repair issues may still need to be addressed before a lender will approve the loan.
This is why the repair response should not be made in isolation. The buyer’s financing, appraisal, lender requirements, and closing timeline all matter.
Option 3: Adjust the Price
A price reduction may make sense if both sides agree that the issue affects value. This is different from a credit because it changes the purchase price rather than giving the buyer money toward closing costs.
Price adjustments can be helpful when the repair is larger or when the buyer is not able to use a credit. But a price reduction does not put cash in the buyer’s pocket after closing. If the buyer needs money to actually complete the repair, a price adjustment may not solve the practical problem.
Option 4: Say No
Sellers do not have to agree to every repair request. If the home was priced appropriately, the issue was already visible, or the buyer is asking for cosmetic upgrades rather than true repair items, saying no may be reasonable.
This is especially true if the offer was already aggressive, the inspection terms were limited, or the seller has other backup options. But saying no always carries some risk. If the buyer has an inspection contingency, they may be able to cancel depending on the contract terms.
The decision should come down to the seriousness of the repair, the strength of the offer, current Forest Hills market conditions, and whether you are comfortable putting the home back on the market if needed.
Forest Hills Homes Can Have Property-Specific Inspection Questions
Forest Hills is not one uniform housing market. A home near a neighborhood cul-de-sac, a wooded property, an acreage home, and a newer subdivision home may all attract different inspection questions.
For example, buyers may pay close attention to:
- Drainage on wooded or sloped lots
- Deck structure and safety
- Roof age and prior repairs
- Septic and well condition on properties that have them
- Older mechanical systems
- Basement moisture
- Past updates and whether they appear professionally completed
For homes with septic systems, the EPA has homeowner and homebuyer resources explaining why septic inspection and maintenance matter. You can review those resources here: EPA guide to septic systems for homebuyers.
How Sellers Should Think About the Request
When a buyer asks for repairs, the first question is not, “Do we say yes or no?”
The better questions are:
- Is the issue real?
- Was it already obvious before the offer?
- Could it affect financing or insurance?
- Could it create a disclosure issue if this buyer walks away?
- How much would it cost to fix?
- How strong is the buyer otherwise?
- How likely are we to get another buyer at the same price?
- Would another buyer probably raise the same concern?
That last question matters. If the issue is likely to come up again with the next buyer, refusing to address it may only delay the same conversation.
Repair Requests Are Also About Terms
Two repair requests for the same item can have very different impacts depending on the offer terms.
A buyer with strong financing, a good earnest money deposit, flexible timing, and a reasonable repair request may be worth working with. A buyer with weaker financing, an aggressive price, a long list of demands, and uncertain timing may be a different conversation.
This is why the highest offer is not always the safest offer. Inspection terms, appraisal risk, financing, closing date, occupancy, concessions, and buyer behavior all matter.
What Sellers Should Avoid
Forest Hills sellers should avoid reacting emotionally to an inspection request. It is easy to feel like the buyer is criticizing the home, especially if you have lived there a long time or maintained it carefully.
But the best response is usually practical, not emotional.
Avoid these common mistakes:
- Rejecting every request without reviewing the actual issue
- Agreeing too quickly without understanding cost
- Promising repairs before talking with qualified contractors
- Ignoring whether the issue could affect financing
- Forgetting that a failed deal may create new disclosure questions
- Letting small items distract from the bigger goal of closing
Can You Prevent Repair Requests Before Listing?
You cannot prevent every inspection question, but you can reduce surprises.
Before listing, it can help to walk through the home with fresh eyes. Look at the roof, gutters, grading, deck, mechanicals, windows, visible plumbing, electrical panel, basement, attic access, exterior trim, and any known maintenance items.
You do not need to fix everything. But it helps to know what may come up before a buyer discovers it during inspection.
For a broader overview of selling in this market, see the Forest Hills Home Seller Guide.
Jason’s Take
I usually tell Forest Hills sellers not to take inspection requests personally. Buyers are trying to understand what they are buying. Sellers are trying to protect their price, timing, and certainty. Those two things can overlap if the response is handled clearly.
The important part is figuring out whether the request is a real issue, a lender or insurance concern, a future disclosure problem, or just a buyer trying to renegotiate after getting the house under contract.
Not every request deserves a yes. Not every request deserves a hard no. The right answer depends on the home, the offer, the buyer, and what happens if the current deal does not move forward.
Bottom Line
If buyers ask for repairs after inspecting your Forest Hills home, it does not automatically mean the sale is in trouble. It means the buyer has more information and wants to revisit part of the agreement.
The best response depends on the issue, the cost, the buyer’s offer terms, the current market, and your willingness to keep the deal together. Sometimes the right move is to repair. Sometimes it is to offer a credit. Sometimes it is to say no. The goal is not to win every small point. The goal is to protect your sale, your timeline, and your final decision.
Talk Through Your Forest Hills Sale
If you are thinking about selling a home in Forest Hills and want to understand which repair items may matter before listing, you can talk directly with Jason Pohlonski.
Jason Pohlonski
Keller Williams Grand Rapids East
Phone/Text: 616-916-9770
Email: jpohlonski@kw.com
Schedule: https://calendly.com/pohlonskirealestate/30min
About the Author
Jason Pohlonski is a Michigan licensed real estate salesperson with Keller Williams Grand Rapids East. He helps buyers and sellers throughout Forest Hills, Ada, Cascade, Grand Rapids, East Grand Rapids, and surrounding West Michigan communities.
Jason began his real estate career in Chicago in 2004, later expanding his experience in Ann Arbor from 2014 to 2019, and has been serving clients in the Grand Rapids area since 2019.
With over 20 years of combined real estate experience across multiple markets, Jason focuses on helping clients make clear real estate decisions involving pricing, offer terms, inspections, appraisals, relocation timing, and buy-sell planning.
Industry Recognition
Jason is recognized by platforms and industry organizations including Zillow, Grand Rapids Magazine Real Estate All-Stars, and Real Producers for his work serving West Michigan buyers and sellers.
Jason also supports One More Moment, a nonprofit that grants wishes to late-stage cancer patients, by donating $100 for every successful closing.
Professional Disclosure
Jason Pohlonski
Michigan Licensed Real Estate Salesperson
License Verification: Verify Michigan License #6501386166
Brokerage: Keller Williams Grand Rapids East
Brokerage Office: 1555 Arboretum Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546
📱 Call or text: 616-916-9770
📅 Schedule consultation:
https://calendly.com/pohlonskirealestate/30min
📧 Email: jpohlonski@kw.com
This article reflects real client experiences and market conditions in Forest Hills, Grand Rapids, and surrounding West Michigan communities at the time of publication. Real estate outcomes can vary depending on market conditions, property characteristics, buyer demand, financing terms, inspection results, appraisal results, lender requirements, insurance requirements, and property condition.
This article is for general informational purposes only and is not legal, tax, financial, insurance, engineering, inspection, septic, well, environmental, or appraisal advice. Buyers and sellers should consult qualified professionals before making decisions involving financing, insurance, inspections, repairs, taxes, legal issues, property condition, or valuation.
