Every real estate agent eventually gets the call: "the inspection came back and my buyer wants to walk." Sometimes walking is the right answer. More often, the deal is salvageable — but only if you, the agent, can separate the substantive findings from the emotional reaction, and lead the negotiation toward an outcome both sides can accept. This guide is a tactical playbook for what to do when an inspection report lands and the deal looks dead on arrival.
When a buyer calls you panicking after reading their inspection report, the worst thing you can do is react in real-time. The best thing you can do is say: "I hear you. Let's both sleep on this. I want to call your inspector first thing tomorrow morning and walk through every finding together. Then we'll have a strategy meeting before we respond to the seller."
This buys you three things:
Walk through the report and sort every finding into one of four categories:
A 60-page report typically yields 4–8 items in buckets 1 and 2, another 3–5 in bucket 3, and 30–80 in bucket 4. Most failed deals are killed by buyers (and inexperienced agents) who try to negotiate buckets 3 and 4 with equal intensity to buckets 1 and 2. Sellers see a 40-item demand list and decide the buyer is impossible to deal with, so they entertain other offers.
Vague dollar requests get vague dollar responses. Specific requests backed by contractor estimates get accepted.
For each item in buckets 1 and 2, get a written estimate within 48 hours. Most reputable Metro Detroit contractors will do this for free for active real estate transactions if they know there's likely future work. Cultivate a short list of:
Build these relationships before you need them, not during a panicked deal.
Your written response to the seller's agent matters as much as the dollar number. Compare:
Bad: "Buyer is requesting $22,000 in repairs and credits per attached 47-item list."
Good: "Inspection identified three material concerns: an aging furnace with a documented heat exchanger crack ($5,800 quoted by Smith HVAC, attached), a 22-year-old roof with active leaks at two valleys ($8,500 quoted by Jones Roofing, attached), and a sewer line with severe root intrusion requiring lining ($7,200 quoted by Riverside Plumbing, attached video). Buyer requests a closing credit of $15,000 to address these items, with the remaining ~$6,500 of cost absorbed by the buyer as the buyer's contribution to addressing aging-system risk."
The second framing accomplishes three things:
Many sellers experience a request for repairs as a personal insult — "my house is fine, this buyer is impossible." Skilled listing agents reframe it: "the inspection is a normal part of the transaction. Every house has findings. Let's look at what's reasonable and respond."
If you're representing the buyer, your job is to make the request as easy as possible to say yes to. That means small, specific, well-documented dollar amounts — not big, vague, dramatic ones.
If you're representing the seller, your job is to walk your client through what's actually being requested vs. what's normal. "This is bucket 1 and 2 stuff — a furnace at end of life, an aging roof, and a sewer issue. The credit they're asking for is reasonable based on the contractor estimates. We can give them $12,000 and probably close this deal, or we can fight over $3,000 and re-list in two weeks with new disclosures we now have to make."
Sometimes deals should die. Real walk-away signals:
If you're walking, do it cleanly. Send a written notice tied to the inspection contingency, get earnest money returned, and move your buyer to the next property quickly. The worst outcome is a buyer in limbo for 3 weeks who loses faith in the process.
The single biggest predictor of whether your post-inspection negotiation goes well is whether your inspector picks up the phone when you call. We answer agent calls all day every day for active transactions, and we'll walk through findings with you and your buyer in plain English so you can build a smart negotiation strategy.
If you're a Southeast Michigan agent and you'd like to chat about how we approach inspections — same-day reports, balanced findings, agent-friendly communication — call (734) 359-7993 or visit our realtors page. We'd love to be your go-to inspector.