"They Want How Much?!" Negotiating Repairs Without Killing the Deal

By Adam Martin Team Lead, Loxley Martin | Top-Rated Dayton & Greene County Realtor

It is the moment where the "honeymoon phase" of the sale ends abruptly.

We are under contract. The buyer loves the house. You are packing boxes. Then, my phone pings with an email from the buyer's agent. It’s the "Request to Remedy" (the official Ohio document where buyers ask for repairs).

You open it and see a list of 10 items, ending with a demand: "Buyer requests new roof, new water heater, and electrical updates. Estimated cost: $12,000."

Your immediate reaction? Anger. "The roof is fine! It doesn't leak! I'm not buying them a new house!"

I get it. It feels insulting. But in the Dayton real estate market, this is the "Second Negotiation." And how we handle this moment determines whether you close on time or end up back on the market starting over.

Here is my playbook for navigating repair requests without losing your cool—or your profit.

The "Safety vs. Maintenance" Rule

Buyers (and their inspectors) will ask for the moon. Your job is not to give it to them. I categorize every request into three buckets:

1. Safety & Structural (The "Must-Dos"):
   
   
• Examples: High Radon levels, active water leaks, exposed live wires, mold, broken furnace.
  
  
• Adam’s Advice: We usually have to address these. If we say "no," the buyer walks away, and now you have a legally known defect you must disclose to the next buyer. It doesn't go away.
  
  
2. Maintenance & Cosmetic (The "No Way"):
   
   
• Examples: Foggy windows, loose doorknobs, old carpet, "furnace is nearing end of life" (but still works).
  
  
• Adam’s Advice: We say NO. You are selling a used house, not a new construction. We do not fix things that are simply "old" or "imperfect."
  
  
3. The "Gray Area" (The Poker Chips):
   
   
• Examples: A roof with 3 years of life left, a deck that needs staining.
  
  
• Adam’s Advice: We use these to negotiate. "We won't replace the roof, but we will give you a $500 home warranty to cover it for a year."
  
  

Strategy: Credit vs. Repair (Why Cash is King)

If we agree to fix something (say, a $1,000 electrical repair), I almost always advise my sellers to offer a Credit at Closing instead of doing the work themselves.

Why Repairs are Dangerous:

• If you hire a contractor and they do a sloppy job, the buyer will refuse to close until it's fixed again. It creates a delay.
  
  
• The buyer will always find fault with your repair.
  
  

Why Credits Win:

• Speed: We agree to reduce the price by $1,000 or give a $1,000 closing cost credit.
  
  
• Certainty: The money changes hands, the deal closes, and the repair becomes their project, not yours.
  
  
• Control: They can hire their own electrician and upgrade it however they want.
  
  

The "Walk Away" Power

In 2025, Dayton is still a Seller's Market. This gives you leverage. If a buyer asks for $5,000 in unreasonable repairs, and we have a Backup Offer (see Question #41) or we know there are 5 other buyers waiting, we can simply say: "The seller declines all repairs. Take it or leave it."

However, this is risky.

• If the buyer walks, we go back on the market.
  
  
• Future buyers might wonder, "Why did the deal fall through? Is something wrong with the house?"
  
  

My Golden Rule: Keep the deal alive if possible. A $1,000 credit is cheaper than an extra month of mortgage payments and the stigma of re-listing.

Staring at a Scary Inspection Report?

Don't panic. Just because they asked for it doesn't mean you have to do it. I help sellers parse the "Request to Remedy" to separate the real issues from the fluff.

👉 Negotiate strong. Send me a message or DM "REPAIR" and let’s keep your deal on the rails.

Adam Martin Team Lead, Loxley Martin Your Dayton & Greene County Real Estate Expert