What Happens After the Buyer’s Home Inspection?
What happens after the buyer’s home inspection depends first on the contract you signed. The inspection report tells us what the inspector found. It does not, by itself, tell us what the seller must repair, what the buyer can demand, or who has to pay.
Start with the contract. Then separate actual obligations from requests, estimates, WDO issues, lender or insurance concerns, and ordinary negotiation.
Do Not Start by Asking, “How Much Will All This Cost Me?”
Read the Contract
Identify the inspection provision, deadlines, repair language, completed blanks, riders and additional terms.
Sort the Findings
Separate possible contract obligations from things the buyer is simply asking the seller to do.
Get Real Numbers
When cost matters, use qualified contractors and actual estimates rather than guessing from the inspection report.
Make the Decision
Compare the dollars, timing, buyer rights and risk to closing. Then respond within the contract.
The Inspection Report Is Not the Contract
A home inspector may identify dozens of items. Some may be important safety or functional problems. Some may be normal wear. Some may be cosmetic. Some may need more evaluation.
That report is valuable information.
But the report does not rewrite the purchase contract.
Does the contract require the seller to do something about this item, or is the buyer asking the seller to agree to something new?
Those are different questions. Treating them as the same question can cause a seller to agree to repairs or money before understanding the actual obligation.
First Find Out Which Inspection Structure You Signed
Florida transactions do not all create the same inspection rights. These are two commonly used Florida Realtors/Florida Bar forms, and their inspection structures are materially different.
The Buyer Has Broad Inspection and Cancellation Rights
Under the current Florida Realtors/Florida Bar AS IS form, the buyer receives the inspection period written into the contract. If that blank is left empty, the current form provides 15 days after the Effective Date.
During that period, the buyer may conduct inspections and may timely terminate in the buyer’s sole discretion if the property is not acceptable.
That does not mean the inspection report automatically requires the seller to make the buyer’s requested repairs.
The seller still has a separate continuing AS IS maintenance obligation under the contract.
The Contract Has a Defined Repair Structure
The current Standard Residential Contract also provides an inspection period. If that blank is left empty, the current form provides 15 days after the Effective Date.
But the Standard form goes further. It separately addresses General Repair Items, WDO inspection and repair, and permit inspection and close-out.
Definitions, timely written notice and the repair limits actually written into the contract matter.
It is still incorrect to assume that every item listed by an inspector becomes a seller repair obligation.
Put Each Issue Into the Right Bucket
1. Possible Contract Obligation
The signed contract may already require a repair, replacement, treatment, permit action or continuing maintenance.
If so, the question is not simply whether the seller feels like making the repair. Read the exact provision, notice, limit and deadline.
2. Buyer Request
A buyer can ask for something even when the contract does not automatically require the seller to agree.
That makes it a negotiation. The seller may have choices depending on the contract and the buyer’s remaining rights.
3. WDO or Permit Issue
Wood-destroying organism issues and permit problems can have their own contract language and procedures.
Do not casually fold them into one general “home inspection repair” number.
4. Financing or Insurance Problem
A roof, electrical, plumbing, HVAC or other condition may also matter to the buyer’s lender or insurer.
That is a separate question from whether the general home inspection itself created a seller repair obligation.
What If the Buyer Sends a Long Repair List?
Do not negotiate from the number of items or the number of pages.
Go line by line only far enough to understand what actually matters. Then group the issues into meaningful decisions.
- What does the contract already require?
- What is the buyer asking for beyond that?
- Which items need a qualified contractor or specialist to determine the real problem?
- What will the work actually cost?
- Could the issue affect insurance, financing, appraisal or another buyer?
- What rights does the buyer still have if the seller says no?
- What outcome gives the seller the strongest reasonable path to closing?
This changes the conversation from emotion to evidence.
Simple Dollar Example
Suppose a buyer asks for a $7,500 credit after inspection.
A licensed contractor determines that the meaningful repair can be completed for about $2,400. The rest of the request involves cosmetic items or numbers that have not been supported by estimates.
$7,500 requested is not automatically the same as $7,500 owed.
The seller can now evaluate the actual contract obligation, the $2,400 repair cost, a possible negotiated credit if permitted, the buyer’s remaining contract rights, and the cost or risk of not reaching an agreement.
The point is not that $2,400 is always the correct answer. The point is to negotiate from evidence rather than from the buyer’s opening number.
Should the Seller Make the Repair or Give a Credit?
There is no automatic answer. A repair and a credit solve different problems.
Completing the Repair
May make sense when the problem is clear, the cost is known, a qualified contractor is available, and fixing it removes transaction friction.
Negotiating Money Instead
May make sense when the parties prefer a negotiated credit or concession and the contract, lender and closing structure permit it.
This subject deserves its own deeper page because the best answer can change with the type of repair, contract, lender, insurance issue, timing and actual cost.
Keep WDO Separate From the General Home Inspection
A WDO inspection deals with wood-destroying organisms and related damage. In a Florida real estate transaction, the official state reporting requirements are separate from an ordinary home inspection.
The current Standard Florida Realtors/Florida Bar contract also gives WDO its own inspection-and-repair section.
That is why wood rot, termite evidence, treatment questions and WDO damage should not automatically be mixed into a general repair-request total without reading the contract.
Florida WDO Reporting
Florida law and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services regulate real-estate WDO inspection reports.
When the statutory requirements apply, the current state form is FDACS Form 13645, Wood-Destroying Organisms Inspection Report.
What If the Inspection Finding Becomes an Insurance or Loan Problem?
Now there may be two different decisions happening at the same time.
Contract Question
Does the signed purchase contract require the seller to correct this condition?
Transaction Question
Can the buyer obtain the insurance or financing needed to close if the condition remains?
An insurer can make its own underwriting decision. A lender can have its own financing requirements. Neither should be guessed at by the seller or real estate broker.
Get the actual information from the applicable lender, insurer or qualified professional. Then determine what the contract says and what choices the parties have.
A Repair, a Seller Credit and Buyer-Broker Compensation Are Not the Same Expense
An inspection repair addresses property condition.
A negotiated credit or concession is money the seller agrees to provide under the transaction terms.
Buyer-broker compensation is a separate negotiated transaction expense. It should not be buried inside an inspection discussion.
Keeping the numbers separate makes it easier to understand what each dollar is paying for and what the seller is likely to keep.
Current listing-side service and compensation choices belong on the Uber Realty Listing Options page.
What Happens If the Seller Says No?
There is no universal answer.
Under an AS IS contract, a buyer who still has a valid inspection cancellation right may have significant leverage because the buyer may be able to terminate within the agreed inspection period.
Under the Standard Residential Contract, defined repair obligations, limits, notices and contract procedures can control what happens next.
Other contracts, riders and additional terms can produce other outcomes.
If the parties disagree about what the contract legally requires, that can become a contract-interpretation issue for a Florida real estate attorney.
What If the Inspection Reveals a Problem the Seller Did Not Know About?
Do not treat new information as though the inspection never happened.
The current Florida Realtors/Florida Bar forms include seller-disclosure language concerning known facts materially affecting the value of the property that are not readily observable and have not been disclosed.
What a particular inspection finding means for any further disclosure should be evaluated from the actual facts. If the answer requires a legal conclusion, obtain legal advice rather than guessing.
The Inspection Negotiation Does Not End the Seller’s Maintenance Duties
The property still has to make it from the Effective Date to closing.
The current Florida Realtors/Florida Bar residential forms contain continuing seller maintenance requirements. They also contemplate a buyer walk-through immediately before closing to verify applicable seller obligations.
So keep normal property care going. Do not stop pool service, lawn care or basic attention simply because the inspection is over.
If something stops working or materially changes after the Effective Date, document what happened and review the contract rather than assuming that “AS IS” answers every question.
Slow the Problem Down Before You Spend Money
When a buyer sends an inspection report or repair request, I do not want the seller reacting to the length of the report.
I want to know what the contract says, what the buyer is actually asking for, what the work really costs and what happens to the transaction if we agree, counter or decline.
Sometimes making the repair is the sensible answer.
Sometimes a negotiated credit is cleaner.
Sometimes the buyer is asking for more than the contract requires and more than the evidence supports.
The goal is not to “win” every repair argument. The goal is to make a deliberate decision with the seller’s money and the path to closing clearly in view.
Here is what matters. Here is what the contract says. Here are the choices. Here is what I recommend and why. You decide.
Questions Sellers Ask After the Inspection
Does the seller have to fix everything the home inspector finds?
No. An inspection report does not automatically turn every finding into a seller repair obligation. The signed contract, its definitions, deadlines, completed blanks, riders and additional terms control the parties’ rights and obligations.
Can the buyer cancel after the home inspection?
It depends on the contract. The current Florida Realtors/Florida Bar AS IS form gives the buyer a broad right to timely terminate during the agreed inspection period if the property is unacceptable in the buyer’s sole discretion. Other contract structures can create different rights.
Can the seller offer money instead of making repairs?
Sometimes, if the parties agree and the transaction structure permits it. A credit or concession is a negotiated contract change. It should not be assumed to be available or appropriate without checking the contract, financing and closing requirements.
Is a WDO inspection the same as the buyer’s home inspection?
No. A WDO inspection addresses wood-destroying organisms and is subject to separate Florida requirements. The current Standard Florida Realtors/Florida Bar contract also addresses WDO separately from the general property inspection.
Can an inspection problem affect insurance even if it is not a required repair?
Yes. Property condition can affect an insurer’s underwriting or a buyer’s financing path. That does not automatically mean the home inspection created a seller contractual repair obligation. Treat the insurance, financing and contract questions separately.
What should a seller do first when a repair request arrives?
Read the signed contract and the buyer’s actual request. Identify deadlines. Separate contractual obligations from negotiable requests. Then obtain estimates or professional information for the items that matter before deciding how to respond.
Continue With the Question You Actually Have
Contract research reviewed August 29, 2026.
Primary contract sources reviewed for this page include the current publicly available Florida Realtors/Florida Bar Residential Contract for Sale and Purchase 7x and AS IS Residential Contract for Sale and Purchase ASIS-7x, plus Florida Realtors contract guidance.
Official sources: Florida Realtors Contract Guidance, Residential Contract 7x, AS IS Contract ASIS-7x, and Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services WDO forms.
This page explains general real-estate decision points and current contract structure. It is not legal advice. The executed contract, completed blanks, riders, addenda, additional terms and transaction facts control. When the parties dispute the legal meaning of a contract provision, a Florida real estate attorney should provide legal advice. Lending, insurance, inspection, pest-control, engineering and other specialized decisions belong to the appropriate professionals.
Jim Whatley, Broker/Owner • Uber Realty LLC • Florida Broker License BK3174026 • Florida Brokerage License CQ1038333 • Equal Housing Opportunity.