Cumming Sellers: Respond to Repair Requests

When a buyer asks for repairs on your Cumming home, separate three decisions: what the inspection actually found, what your contract requires, and which response you can complete before closing. You might agree to defined work, negotiate a closing-cost credit or price change, or decline a request. The useful comparison is not simply the size of the concession; it is whether the proposed solution addresses the problem and keeps the transaction workable.

Start with the report pages and the buyer's written request. Then confirm the inspection or due-diligence deadline and any response requirements with your agent. A discussion about repairs is not, by itself, an extension of the buyer's decision period.

Start with the contract, not the length of the repair list

An inspection report can be long because it records maintenance, limitations and recommendations as well as defects. The buyer's request is a separate document: identify exactly which items the buyer wants addressed and what resolution is proposed.

Next, review your signed purchase agreement, inspection provisions and amendments. Does the buyer have a due-diligence right to terminate, a specific repair-request process, or another negotiated arrangement? Which deadline applies to a response, and how must notices be delivered? Your agent can organize the documents; a Georgia real-estate attorney should resolve questions about termination, default or disputed earnest money. Georgia's consumer guidance explains why inspection and financing contingencies matter, but your agreement supplies the actual terms.

The 2026 Georgia REALTORS forms catalog lists separate amendments for property concerns, the due-diligence period and the closing date. That is a useful reminder to address both the work and the calendar. Do not assume that agreeing to one also changes the other.

Sort the findings before negotiating the amount

Read the report's description and photographs, not just its summary. Distinguish these situations:

• A defined defect with a clear repair. A qualified contractor can identify the work, provide a written price and confirm availability.
• A symptom with an unresolved cause. A stain, crack or moisture reading may need further evaluation before anyone can price an effective repair.
• A lender or insurer concern. The buyer may need a condition resolved to obtain financing or coverage, even if both parties would prefer a credit.
• Maintenance or a buyer preference. An older but functioning feature presents a different negotiation from a documented failure. Discuss its condition and the agreed sale terms rather than automatically accepting a replacement request.

For example, a proposal to paint over a ceiling stain does not answer whether a leak remains active. A useful contractor assessment addresses the source of the water, affected materials and the proposed correction. If the cause is uncertain, get the appropriate specialist involved before promising a fixed scope or completion date.

The CFPB distinguishes a home inspection from a lender's appraisal and notes that major repairs can become a financing condition. A seller credit may not solve a requirement to complete work before closing. Read the CFPB's inspection guidance.

Compare the response that each option actually delivers

Complete agreed repairs. This can resolve a defined problem before the buyer takes possession. It also puts scheduling, access and completion evidence into your remaining closing calendar. Obtain a written scope rather than promising to fix everything mentioned in the report.

Negotiate a closing-cost credit. This can leave the buyer with more of their own cash available for later work, provided the lender accepts the credit and the property can close in its current condition. A closing-cost credit is not automatically a cash payment to a contractor or an unrestricted payment to the buyer.

Adjust the price. This changes the purchase economics, but it does not repair the condition. It also does not necessarily give the buyer the same immediate cash benefit as an equal-sized closing-cost credit. Have the lender show the revised loan amount and cash to close.

Decline or counter the request. Explain the response clearly and on time. The buyer's remaining options depend on the signed agreement; neither side should assume that a rejected request automatically ends the sale or determines who receives the deposit.

For a loan subject to Fannie Mae's rules, seller financing concessions are limited by both the applicable program limits and the buyer's eligible closing costs. They cannot provide the required down payment or reserves. Other loan programs have their own treatment, so have the buyer's lender confirm the proposed credit before it is finalized. Fannie Mae's contribution rules also require disclosure of these contributions; do not arrange an undisclosed payment outside closing.

A repair-versus-credit example

Suppose a qualified contractor quotes $6,200 for defined work, including the agreed materials and labor. The buyer instead proposes a $4,500 closing-cost credit and would arrange that same work after taking possession. These are illustrative amounts, not Cumming repair-price estimates.

If both options are otherwise acceptable, the credit costs the seller $1,700 less than the quoted repair. But that subtraction is only the beginning:

• If the lender requires the work before closing, the later-repair plan may not be available.
• If the buyer has only $3,000 of remaining eligible costs and credit capacity, a $4,500 proposal cannot be assumed fully usable.
• If the quote excludes concealed damage, either party may be taking on more uncertainty than the headline amount suggests.
• If the contractor cannot finish before closing, the parties need a workable schedule or another agreed solution.

Choose the response after those questions are answered. The lowest stated concession is not necessarily the response that gets the agreed transaction completed.

Make the repair agreement specific enough to verify

A useful written resolution identifies the location and issue, the work to be completed, who will arrange and pay for it, access arrangements, and the completion date. Address whether permits, inspections, paid invoices, warranties or a specialist's follow-up are needed. Specify how the buyer will check the work and how an unresolved item will be handled before closing.

For a home inside Cumming's city limits, the city Planning and Zoning Department handles construction permits and trade inspections. Confirm the property's jurisdiction and ask the responsible department whether the proposed work needs a permit; do not assume a Cumming mailing address settles that question.

For most housing built before 1978, separate federal lead-paint disclosure requirements also apply. Sellers must provide known information, available records and the required disclosures before the contract is signed. If a new report raises a lead issue, discuss the disclosure and repair implications with the appropriate professionals rather than treating it as an ordinary cosmetic item. EPA's lead-disclosure guidance explains coverage and exemptions.

Close the loop before the final walk-through

Share completion records early enough for the buyer to review them. If a receipt describes different work from the amendment, resolve the difference. If a lender requires clearance, confirm who supplies it and when. An invoice shows what was billed; the agreed inspection or reinspection establishes whether the required follow-up is complete.

The CFPB recommends a final walk-through to confirm agreed repairs and included items. Unfinished work should be raised before signing, not left to an informal promise at the closing table. Its closing guidance also emphasizes reconciling changed terms with the final documents.

If your next purchase depends on this sale closing, include the repair schedule in your buying-and-selling plan. Bring your inspection report, the buyer's request, estimates and contract dates to the discussion. Talk with Ashley Smith about your Cumming repair response.